


Villain: Redux

by yayninjabob



Category: Powerpuff Girls
Genre: Action, Action/Adventure, Angst and Humor, Angst and Tragedy, Anti-Hero, Chemical X origins, Comedy, Dark, Dark Character, Dark Comedy, Deconstruction, Dysfunctional Family, Enemies to Lovers, Epic, Explicit Language, F/F, Family Drama, Family Feels, Femslash, Gen, Genderqueer Character, Good and Evil, Heroes to Villains, Insanity, LGBTQ Themes, Long Lost/Secret Relatives, Major Character Injury, Mental Breakdown, Mental Instability, Mild Blood, Mild Gore, Mild Sexual Content, Minor Original Character(s), Murder, NO ROWDYRUFFBOYS IN THIS FIC, Psychological Horror, Psychological Trauma, Punk, Queer Youth, Secret Identity, Suspense, Team Up, The Powerpuff Girls, Thriller, Villains, Yuri
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-28
Updated: 2021-01-24
Packaged: 2021-02-27 05:47:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 12
Words: 232,500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22452130
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yayninjabob/pseuds/yayninjabob
Summary: Buttercup is horribly scarred in battle one day. Everyone begins to treat her as a monster, and soon she begins to think of herself as just that. Will she ultimately become the very thing she once fought against... a villain? REWRITE of my fic Villain (2008) Please review. X-posted on FFnet.
Relationships: Blossom Utonium/Robin Snyder, Princess Morbucks/Buttercup Utonium
Comments: 38
Kudos: 36





	1. Thirteen

**Villain: Redux**

by Yay Ninja Bob

* * *

Author's Note:

I always said I'd rewrite _Villain_ someday, so here it is. It's been about 12 years since I wrote the original, and about 8 years since I completed VillainE. It's so humbling to still get occassional reviews/faves/alerts on these fics to this day, so I wanted to try to do this story better justice with a rewrite. I was 19 when I wrote the original. Now that I'm older, let's hope I've grown a little as a writer. WE SHALL SEE.

Expect major changes. This isn't just an edited version of _Villain_. It is a complete and total rewrite. I don't want to have any spoilers here for new readers of Villain, but to any old readers, I repeat: EXPECT MAJOR CHANGES.

The spoiler-free changes I can mention:

1\. No longer Buttercup's POV but Third Person

2\. Timeline is expanded and changed. It is a longer road to villainy this time. The original kinda jumps right into it, but I'm setting a slower pace before we start to build real momentum. I worry some of you might be like "Um... where's the psycho killer Buttercup I came for?" I promise you, she'll be here.

3\. Backstories/bigger roles for previously minor characters including: Princess, Ace, Arturo, Professor Utonium, Sedusa, and yes, we will see Blossom and Bubbles' perspectives and know their stories. Our main story/focus is still Buttercup and eventually Buttercup and Mojo.

4\. Since I've retired my other unfinished PpG fics, I've decided to try and weave some of their intended plots into this fic. There's just a couple things that I found worked so well with Villain, and I figure since I intend this rewrite to be my final work in my fanfic writing "career," then I might as well just go all out here. I'll be including some of my personal Gangreen Gang stuff, as well as a Princess plot I never got around to writing that I am SO PUMPED to fit in here.

My goal is to update every 3-5 weeks, or roughly about once a month. I'm truly taking my time on this one, because I want to get it right. If you're interested in updates on what's coming, my writing music playlists, my fic related drawings, etc... I made a new tumblr just to share all that weird trash I tend to create as a byproduct of my writing madness: yayninjabob dot tumblr dot com.

**Rated T for violence, coarse language, mild gore/horror, underage marijuana use, mild suggestive adult themes, and villainy.**

Lastly, reviews and feedback are always very appreciated, and I thank you mucho in advance. I hope you all enjoy this new version of my precious pride and joy, _Villain_.

Much Love,  
Bobby

* * *

**Villain: Redux**

**Part I: Remote Control**

**Chapter 1 - Thirteen  
**

The city of Townsville- once a relatively unknown destination on the west coast of the United States, it had become a thriving and growing metropolis over the last several years. Of course, this was all thanks to Townsville's trio of faithful protectors: The Powerpuff Girls.

Not long ago, Townsville was called home by only the most desperate of folk. Real estate was cheap since the area seemed cursed with bad luck. In fact, Townsville was widely considered uninhabitable for the majority of its history. Urban legends told by town locals blamed the greed of Townsville's first settlers who came with the Gold Rush of 1849. Like all mining communities of its time, the settlement was built only after killing off the lands' native humans. They say the amount of blood spilled during those times plagued the community with misfortune for years to come. Even if the rumors of cursed, blood-stained lands weren't enough to scare away prospective citizens, Monster Isle sat just forty miles offshore from the city's coastline, making their beaches less than welcoming. The island was home to the lands' native monsters- mostly creatures that had gone instinct long ago in other places in the world. The monsters of Monster Isle rarely ventured off the island and into Townsville, but these prehistoric beasts favorite snack if they happened to find it was human flesh, so Townsville definitely had good reason to fear their monstrous neighbors.

For over a century, Townsville was known to most of mankind as a death trap. Even in the modern era, the city struggled to rise above the constant attacks of violence and criminality that the area attracted for whatever reason. It had been accepted that was just how things were for Townsville, and its citizens were either crazy or poor for living there. No one could predict that three five-year-old little girls would hold the power to at last change the city's luck for the better.

Three sisters, born from a fool's hope, unexplored science and an unimaginable accident. That story of their creation became legend in Townsville. The simple version is this: Professor Utonium, a young scientist and resident of Townsville sought to find a cure to the city's seemingly never ending curse. Determined to change the world for the better, and inspired by a child's pure innocent heart, he concocted a formula which sought to create the perfect little girl. He believed that if everything went according to plan, he could create a child whose heart would hold the most intense purity that held the power to inspire and change humanity for the good. However, while he mixed the ingredients to his formula, he accidentally added an unintentional ingredient- Chemical X. The result was an explosion, and when he awoke there was not one child, but three. Their names would be Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup, given to them by the Professor himself. Outwardly they appeared to be just three average little girls, but they had miraculous powers, untouchable strength, and could fly. Whether one considered them a revelation in science or miracle, every citizen of Townsville agreed that these three super powered cherubs were the saviors and protectors they so desperately needed. All three girls were born with a natural instinct to protect those around them, and by using their unique powers, they fought crime in Townsville, fulfilling their creator's original dream of peace for the city.

It was three years ago when Townsville declared itself an "official villain-free" city. Coincidentally, it was the day the city unveiled Townville Correctional Prison's brand new Villains Ward. Designed by Professor Utonium himself to secure the city's most dangerous deviants and criminals. Truthfully, the technological improvements on the prison's security was meant as a birthday gift to his then ten-year-old daughters. Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup had been fighting crime for nearly five years. Over their young crime fighting career, they faced the same determined group of villains time and time again. The Professor feared his girls would never get to experience a decent childhood since Townsville's villains could easily escape a standard prison cell. The new Villain's Ward would fix this problem, and once it was implemented, all of Townsville's most notorious crooks were locked away for good.

Mojo Jojo was the Powerpuff Girls' best known enemy. He was also the Villains Ward's first inmate, and was treated to a solitary suite designed especially for him. While the other villains in the ward were allowed one hour outside their cells each day, Mojo was never permitted to leave his.

It took Mojo a long time to get used to his new, tiny, titanium-enforced prison cell. The mutant chimpanzee once prided himself to be a refined and noble chimp with superior taste in home decor, but he had since been reduced to a dark and dingy, metal box. The only recreation he was allowed was his paper notebooks and wooden pencils. He was also permitted one book rented to him by the prison library, which was traded out once a week. Unfortunately the library was so small, he had already read every book in the collection at least twice. His cell was indeed impossible to escape, especially when he was the one villain singled out to never be permitted from his cell under any and all circumstances. As far as they were concerned, he had everything he needed: a bed, toilet and sink. His ceiling's skylight was designed to provide him an energy efficient light source, as well as "environmental enrichment," but all it did was taunt him. The rectangular skylight rested on the ceiling, eighty feet from where he stood. He had tried to climb the sleek walls of that cell's walls countless times, but never made it more than several inches off the ground. Sometimes he would try and find peace in the scenery above, and would lie on the cold, metal floor of his cell and watch the clouds slowly pass by. However most times it just reminded him of time tortuously slipping away from him, and that was depressing. On even worse occasions, sometimes he'd notice familiar pink, blue and green streaks of light whip through the sky and that would send him into a quick, blind rage.

With no concept of time, or the world beyond his own four walls, Mojo found his mind slipping more and more by the day. He didn't know it, but it had been three years since his final imprisonment. Mojo scribbled furiously in his notebook. His grip was so strong on his wooden pencil, he'd already broken three of them since he was first struck with his latest epiphany. The four-foot chimp sat up right on his rock slab the prison called a "mattress." He took a deep breath and loosened his grip on his pencil, since it was the last one he had. He paused only for that moment, and then his lead hit parchment once more and the madness continued to flow again. That morning he filled nearly all the pages of his notebook with tiny, barely legible writing as he worked out his latest plan of escape.

"No more foolishly clawing into these cursed metal walls," he muttered to himself as he plotted. "Enough of my impulsive acts of desperation! What a fool I've been! Impetuous and reckless is not me! No, carelessness was never my style! I am the master of devious design- a brilliant schemer to be feared! I am _calculating_! I am _cunning_! I am _MOJO JOJO_!"

He cackled to himself as he finally sat down his pencil. He exhaled slowly and held his latest scheme before him, admiring his own genius. "Today, I have thought of a new method of escape! At last, a plan- so sure to work- so foolproof- I will finally be free again! And once I have escaped, I will finally seek vengeance on those wretched little brats! Those accursed Powerpuff-"

"Why are you _always_ doing this exact thing every time I drop in?" a chilling voice echoed from the dark corner of his cell, causing Mojo's fur to stand rigid. The monkey quickly leapt onto his feet and faced the red demon, Him, who had materialized in his prison cell. The immortal creature was the only Townsville villain who could never be captured. Him waved his red claw in the air, "So what _is_ this latest plan of escape, _hmm?_ " Mojo watched as his notebook floated over to Him, who took the notebook in his claws and immediately erupted in high pitched laughter at what he read.

This instantly angered Mojo. For one, he never understood why Him wouldn't just destroy the Powerpuffs with his effortless dark magic. It frustrated him to know that it was Him who was free and not Mojo himself. Instead the demon chose to poke at and taunt a poor chimp locked away in a cage for life. But what really pissed the monkey off was that Him had the nerve to laugh at his latest plot- a plan he had just praised as his best yet. The short chimp marched fearlessly toward the demon and snatched his notebook from the taller villain's grasp. "Just what is so funny?!" he shouted at Him. "This is not meant to be comedic! It is strategic! It is my most carefully crafted plan of escape yet! It is-"

"It is _exactly_ what you tried last year," Him continued to giggle.

Mojo stopped and blinked at the pages of his notebooks. His rage was replaced with confusion. Had he planned this before? "No..." he muttered to himself. Quickly, he made his way to his bunk and retrieved his older notebooks he kept underneath his mattress and began to flip frantically through their contents, " _No_ ," he said again more definitively. "I haven't tried this! Impossible! If I had it would be here and I checked! I was certain I didn't read it anywhere else before! I-I know I've been getting a little forgetful as of late, but... But that is why I was sure to check beforehand... I... I'm sure of it! I'm-"

"Actually," Him pondered out loud as he twisted his goatee with his claw, "I think it was exactly a year ago when you tried this!" Him could not help but laugh again at the irony.

Mojo stood dumbfounded, unsure of what to believe in that moment. Suddenly he heard the creak of his cell's delivery chute swing open as his daily lunch was being forced through the small, two-inch-wide slit. As the door of the tiny metal slot opened, Mojo could hear the prison staff also laughing at him on the other side of the metal door: "Hey, Deb! The monkey's talking to himself again!"

A female voice answered with more laughter: " _Ha_! Think he'll try and drown himself with the toilet again this year?"

Mojo realized then that Him was not lying. He slowly shook his head as the prison guards' laughter faded in the distance. "How... but how did it fail?" Him's echoing laughter continued as the monkey tried his best to ignore the demon's taunting and remember the events for himself. He ran to the toilet in the corner of his cell and began to narrate his plan aloud, "I-I was going to cause a flood! And that flood of water would rise! Rise until I'd risen to the top!" Mojo's eyes fell on the skylight that hung over him. "And then... then I'd be free."

Him's laughter only grew and now echoed louder within the cell. "You used last year's notebook pages to try and clog that dirty thing!"

Mojo shook his confusion away and became angry once more: "And it didn't work?!" he shouted in disbelief.

Him wiped a tear from his eye, " _Ahh_ ," he exhaled slowly, calming his laughter finally, "They shut off your water before you even managed to get a puddle on the ground."

Suddenly Mojo's mind found the memory at last. He immediately grew red with embarrassment as the memory of his failed escape came back to him. Mojo then turned his back on the demonic creature who continued to grin at his misfortune. Him was always deviously entertained by Mojo's hopeless situation. "Him?" Mojo spoke quietly with his back still turned.

"I'm listening," Him replied sounding emotionless and monotone.

Mojo took a deep breath before continuing, "Under usual circumstances, I would refuse your help. However... I am... at a loss. This is difficult for me to ask this of you, but I require your assistance. If you would aid me in an escape from here I could-"

Him interrupted him, " _Tsk, tsk_ ," he shook his head, "You tried that one before, too, _monkey-boy_." An evil grin swept his face as he soaked in the misery that soiled the air around him. He basked in the sweet stench of suffering for one long, final moment before disappearing again in a puff of pink mist.

Mojo stood alone in his cell, and for the first time in his life he surrendered to the feeling of ultimate defeat. The realization that he would rot in that metal box for the rest of his days finally, slowly sunk into his mind. That was the day that Mojo Jojo gave up.

* * *

Since the eradication of all villains, the city of Townsville held an annual carnival in honor of the Powerpuff Girls' birthday every year. The carnival was held in the town's Central Park and every citizen was in attendance, along with about a thousand devoted fans who traveled from all across the country to celebrate their favorite super heroines' birthday. This year the girls were turning thirteen.

"Wow!" The Professor's eyes widened as he walked through the gates of the carnival. "Would you look at this year's turnout! This is incredible!" he beamed at the large crowd of energetic fans. As soon as they walked in, the sea of people immediately shifted in their direction and erupted in cheers and applause. Of course, that excitement wasn't for the Professor, but for his three daughters who stood beside him.

Blossom stood tallest and on his right, and wore a bright smile as she took in her surroundings. It was hard not to miss her, just thirteen and already she was five foot nine, and stood at equal height of her father. The redhead normally allowed her fire-red curls to run free and wild, falling past her hips, but today she wore her hair in a tight ponytail. She fixed her hairstyle with her signature red bow which she knew the fans were eager to see, along with the rest of their superhero uniform, of course: a simple, sleeveless pink dress with a single black stripe, white leggings and black mary-jane slippers.

Bubbles hovered beside the Professor to his left, and was visibly bouncy with excitement. Her wavy blonde hair was in her classic pigtails, and she never planned to change that style. She was the shortest of her siblings, but average for a teen her age. Her bright blue eyes ignored the crowd before her and only saw the giant stuffed animals and brightly colored prizes at the carnival's game tent. "Oh my gosh they have giant Bunny-Bunny's at the prize tent!" she clapped with joy.

Buttercup then trailed in from behind, muttering something to herself about not having to wear a dress in a year before she took her place next to Bubbles on the far left. The Professor smiled kindly at his tomboy daughter, "You look beautiful, sweetie."

Buttercup crossed her arms and ignored the compliment. She despised having to wear the girlish uniform, but was always out-voted by her sisters when deciding the details for these publicity events. She was thankful she no longer had to wear the feminine outfit daily, but she always forgot just how much she hated those white leggings until the moment to wear them came again. The raven haired hero, like Blossom, was tall for her age, but just an inch shorter than Blossom. Her hair was jet black and cropped short and jagged at her chin. Her green eyes fell on the crowd before them. " _Jeez_ , we're gonna be here _all_ day," she began to groan, thinking of all the strangers she would have to endure for the day.

"Then we better get started," Blossom smiled before she zipped over to the "Meet and Greet" booth they held every year.

Bubbles and Buttercup joined their sister at the table which sat on top of a stage that overlooked the entire carnival. From there they could see the line leading up to their booth stretch around the entire perimeter of the fairgrounds. Bubbles and Buttercup took their chairs on either side of their team leader. The three heroines would be in those seats for the next six hours signing autographs and posing for photos. It was originally Blossom's idea to begin every carnival visit with an autograph booth so that every admirer was granted the chance to meet their favorite heroes. She believed that they owed it to their fans. Of course who would they be without them? As much as her sister Buttercup complained about it, it was truly the best solution Blossom could find. At their first birthday carnival, the three girls were unable to do anything without getting bombarded by their fans at every turn. At least by holding the booth, they could have the evening to enjoy by themselves, free of any hassle.

Professor Utonium figured while his girls were preoccupied by their fans, it was the perfect time to enjoy his favorite part of the fair- the food. Of course, he first planned to bring plenty of treats back for his girls to snack on while they sat at their booth. He would get Blossom her favorite caramel apple and salted pretzel bites. She always looked forward to the fresh-squeezed lemonade every year, too. Bubbles' sweet tooth always craved a banana split funnel cake with extra sprinkles and a lemonade for her, as well. Lastly, he would have to find Buttercup her hot cheeto and steak burrito and a coke. It took the scrawny scientist three separate trips to carry everything on his own. Each trip took him about forty minutes each way, as he fought against the traffic of the people surrounding the carnival main stage. But once his birthday girls had their favorite fair foods delivered, the Professor was finally free to seek out his own guilty pleasure- a warm, fresh churro.

The cinnamon showered delicacy made his mouth water. He held the pastry to his nose like a fine cigar, savoring its beautiful cinnamon aroma. As he took his first bite, he felt a gentle tap on his shoulder. "Something told me I'd find you over here!" a short woman with dark brown hair smiled up at him.

"Ms. Keane!" The Professor greeted her with a quick, one-armed hug, still holding onto his churro with his free hand. Ms. Maggie Keane was once his daughters' kindergarten teacher, but more importantly she was like a godmother to the girls. Even long after they had left her classroom, Ms. Keane always remained a part of their lives. After all, the Professor had his hands full as a single father of three super-powered children. He couldn't ask for a better friend in life to help raise his three girls.

The Professor waited for Ms. Keane to pay the vendor for her own churro treat. The two found a place to sit on an open bench that sat outside the fair's Haunted House attraction. "So how has your summer been so far, Ms. Keane?" the Professor chatted with his mouth full of his sugary pastry.

Ms. Keane politely waited to answer as she finished her own bite, "Uneventful," she shrugged. "Honestly, I can't wait for the school year to start again. How about you and the girls? How are things?"

"Oh you know," he paused to swallow, "Same for us, too, pretty much. Another nice, quiet summer. I tell you, I do not miss the old days!"

"Here, here!" Ms. Keane smiled with him, and the two tapped their churros together in unison. "It's nice to hear they're getting to enjoy their school break."

Professor Utonium nodded as he chewed, "They are," he declared with a proud smile. "By the way, did they show you their cute little movie project?"

Ms. Keane started to laugh, remembering the young girls' homemade movie she had gotten in her e-mail inbox the week prior. "Yes! It was darling! Bubbles e-mailed it to me; she said she shot and edited everything herself. She's become so talented, Professor!"

"It was their best friend, Robin's script. Blossom directed," the Professor added between his last few bites of food.

"She directed _and_ starred?" Ms. Keane laughed. "Well, she has always been very well-rounded."

The Professor nodded. "They worked on it every day for a month straight. At one point, I had to ask Robin if she'd been back home at all. It seemed like she'd moved in without me realizing it for a couple weeks there!" he chuckled.

After a brief pause, Ms. Keane asked: "What about Buttercup?" She immediately saw the smile the Professor was wearing change into a serious frown. "Still up in her room lately, huh?" She was already familiar with Utonium's concerns.

He sighed a little, "I just don't understand what's gotten into her lately. I mean, she's always been prone to her moods here and there, but lately, it's different. Take their movie project for example," he began. "When they first started, she seemed like she was on board to be a part of everything. Then when they got to filming, I notice she isn't there anymore, and I find her locked in her room, glued to her video games."

"Did something happen while making the movie maybe? Did you ask her?"

"Yes. I asked her, and her sisters. They all said nothing happened. She just decided she didn't want to do it anymore."

"Well, maybe it just wasn't her style. You know Bubbles and Blossom are girly girls, and Buttercup has always been a tomboy. Their film was a romantic fairy tale, after all."

"I don't know. I just wish she did more than just watch TV and play video games. She just seems so unmotivated, and I'm worried about her."

Ms. Keane smiled reassuringly. "Thirteen is a hard age, Professor."

He nodded slowly, "Yeah, I suppose."

Ms. Keane thought for a moment, "You know," she began as something crossed her mind, "There is one thing I've been meaning to discuss with you. When the idea came to me, initially I was thinking of Blossom's benefit, but now I'm thinking this could be a solution for Buttercup, as well..."

"Please, I'm all ears for any advice." Professor Utonium sat up straight, and gave Ms. Keane his full focus.

"Well," Ms. Keane began, "I know the girls are set to start the eighth grade this fall, but what do you think about them skipping a grade?"

"You mean start high school early?"

"Well, yes. They've always been advanced for their age. I know your concern has always been giving them as normal a life as possible, but they would still have normalcy in high school. Blossom is definitely ready for it, and maybe what Buttercup is feeling is unchallenged, and it could help her, too. I really wouldn't be surprised if it did."

The Professor thought about this for a moment. He scratched his chin. "A new setting might help, too," he thought out loud to himself.

"Exactly!" Ms. Keane agreed.

"To tell you the truth, I have thought about advanced placement for Blossom. Especially when she took an IQ test on her own at eleven and scored a 129." He chuckled to himself. "Kind of embarrassing that my preteen already has me beat!"

Ms. Keane's bright blue eyes widened. "Professor, are you _serious?_!" she exclaimed, "I mean, I'm surprised, but somehow not surprised... she's always been a bright kid! But, Professor, you really should be thinking about college for Blossom if she's scoring a genius IQ!"

Now it was the Professor's turn to look shocked. " _College_? She just turned thirteen today!"

"There are plenty of gifted children who attend college," Ms. Keane retrieved her cellphone from her pants pocket. She quickly retrieved an article for the Professor, " _See_ ," she handed him the device.

Professor read the article's headline: _Cornell University's 12-year-old Freshman_. He handed the phone back to Ms. Keane. "OK, I see your point." He sighed again. "I just want my girls to have a normal life-"

"Professor," Ms. Keane interrupted, "You know they've always been special. You can't hold them back just because you fear for them." She placed her hands on her hips. "Plus, you know they've faced a lot worse than challenging schoolwork. They're thirteen now. Young women, not little girls anymore."

Professor Utonium slowly nodded. "OK, I'll consider it." His eyes fell on the main stage in the distance and he noticed the line of fans had died down considerably. There were maybe just a dozen more left in the line. "Looks like the girls are finishing up soon. I better head back now," he said as he stood. "Are you still joining us at the house tonight for cake?"

"Yes, of course. See you later!"

As Professor Utonium reached the stage, the final visitor to the Powerpuff Girls' booth was leaving. As soon as the young fan finished wishing the girls a happy birthday and taking a selfie with them, the Professor joined his girls on the stage.

" _Keys, keys, keys_!" Buttercup rushed her father for the keys to their family station wagon. Her eyes were on a young girl with light brown hair who neared the stage. The closer Robin got, the more she panicked. The Professor patted his pockets, trying to locate his car keys. " _Ugh_! Forget it!" the teenager groaned in frustration, "I'm breaking the window!" she announced before she disappeared with a flash of green light just as Professor finally found his keys, but she was already gone.

Quickly, Blossom appeared and snatched the keys from his hands, "Don't worry, Professor, I'll make sure she doesn't!" and with that she, too, disappeared with a flash of pink light.

Bubbles giggled to herself as she watched her sisters rush off before Robin came to the stage. The thirteen-year-old brunette with teal blue eyes, Robin, was the girls longest and closest friend. She had been their next door neighbor since they were five years old. Bubbles was the only one who knew both her sisters' secret which was that both Blossom and Buttercup had developed a painful crush on their friend, Robin, over this past summer.

Robin ran up to her blonde-haired friend and gave her a tight, enthusiastic embrace, "Happy Birthday, Bubbles!" she grinned big.

"Thanks!" Bubbles also smiled and hugged her equally tight.

"Hey where did Buttercup and Blossom go?"

Bubbles shrugged, "They'll be back. Buttercup just wanted to change clothes real quick, and Blossom went to make sure she didn't break anything."

"Oh, OK."

Bubbles gasped with a sudden realization: "Wanna try and win me a giant Bunny-Bunny plush for my birthday?!" she eagerly asked her friend.

"Um, OK!" Robin laughed a little, "I'll try!"

Bubbles danced with joy. "Yay!" the blue Powerpuff grabbed her best friend by the hand and carried her to the game tent in a flash of bright baby blue light.

Buttercup reached the family's white station wagon, but before she could attempt getting inside through her own means, she heard the doors automatically unlock with a sharp _click_. She glanced behind her and saw her sister Blossom smiling at her with the keys' remote opener in her hand. Buttercup rolled her eyes at Blossom before opening the car's rear door and climbing into the backseat. Blossom followed after her, opening the passenger door for herself and sat in the passenger seat.

Buttercup retrieved her backpack from the floor of the backseat and started to remove her dress shoes and leggings first.

As Buttercup slid into a pair of blue jeans, Blossom used the car's rear view mirror to check her reflection. She carefully removed her hair bow, and shook out her ponytail, letting her curls fall loose once more. "You know," she started to say to her sister, "Robin's seen you in a dress plenty of times before now. It's not like her seeing you in one today would kill you or anything."

Buttercup was tying her black sneaker's shoelaces when she heard this. She stopped and looked at her sister who was still playing with her hair. "It's not for her, it's for me," she corrected her. She watched as Blossom retrieved a small tube of pink lip gloss that she had tucked away under her bra strap. She watched her sister carefully apply the shimmery pink gloss to her lips. Buttercup leaned forward, towards the passenger seat where Blossom sat and teased in her ear: "Tell me, Bloss. Whose the lip gloss for?"

Blossom's face flushed a bright red, but she said nothing.

Buttercup smirked, knowing she made her point. She finished tying her last shoelace. She then started to pull her green dress off over her head, "I can't stand this stupid costume," her voice was muffled as she fought to free herself from the fabric.

"It's our _uniform_ , Buttercup," Blossom disagreed. "We're the Powerpuff Girls, after all."

"Oh, come _on_ , Blossom, do you honestly still believe that?" Buttercup couldn't help but chuckle at her sister. She sat in the backseat now with just her sports bra and blue jeans and sneakers. She fished around her backpack for her t-shirt as she continued, "We haven't been the Powerpuff Girls since we locked up all the villains in the town."

Blossom sighed heavily. "Protecting the citizens has always been more than just beating up bad guys, Buttercup. Did you forget who put out last summer's Townsville Hills fire?"

"Yeah, _YOU_." Buttercup found her favorite punk band t-shirt of the Clash and pulled it on quickly.

" _No_." Blossom tried again. She turned in her seat to face her sister. "It was all of us- The Powerpuff Girls."

" _No_ , it was _YOU_ ," Buttercup continued to fight as she pointed at the redhead, "Blossom, the big star who put the fire out with her dumb, stupid, _special_ ice breath..." she waved her arms in the air, singing "special" like an insult. "All me and Bubbles got to do was get the evacuees to the stadium."

Blossom massaged her temple, pausing to calm herself before she continued. The two had this same exact fight countless times before then. Buttercup resented the fact that she didn't get to share in glory of putting out the flames of the hundred acre fire. In Buttercup's mind, it was the first action they had gotten in years, and she didn't even get a piece of it for herself. Blossom, however, believed that her sister's thinking was irrational. In Blossom's mind, of course the hero with the special ability of ice breath would be the one to put out a fire. It wasn't her fault that her green-eyed sister had never discovered her own special ability. "Look," Blossom began again with a softer tone, "It's our birthday," she pleaded. "I don't want to fight today, do you?"

"...No," Buttercup reluctantly answered.

"OK, so then let's just stop."

Buttercup was dressed. She forcefully shoved her uniform into her backpack and said nothing more to her sister. She was still mad, so she knew if she spoke she'd only continue to fuel the fight, so she chose to keep silent. Blossom took the silence as a truce.

"You ready?" Blossom asked her sister. Buttercup simply nodded, and the two of them exited the vehicle.

The green and pink Powerpuffs didn't speak to one another as they flew back to the carnival festivities. They found Bubbles and Robin in line for the bumper cars attraction. As they approached the fair ride, Robin spotted them first. The young brunette began to wave at her friends excitedly, "Blossom! Buttercup! We're over here!" she shouted for their attention.

Buttercup and Blossom slowed to a stop at the exact same moment. "Oh _God_ ," Buttercup muttered out loud, "She's wearing the crop top..." The teenager hid her eyesight with her hands, trying her best to ignore her surfacing hormones.

Blossom's face was flushed bright red again, noticing the same detail. She smiled weakly back at her crush in the distance and gave a small, shy wave. "Oh _God_ , you're right," she also muttered behind her forced smile.

The crop top was made from a t-shirt that Buttercup had given Robin earlier that year. Robin may have been just as feminine as Blossom and Bubbles, but she and Buttercup surprisingly shared more interests, including music. Once Buttercup started replacing her wardrobe with nothing but her favorite band t-shirts, her friend Robin started the same trend. The one artist Buttercup had introduced Robin to that she instantly obsessed over was Blondie. When Robin celebrated her thirteenth birthday that January, Buttercup's birthday gift was a white t-shirt that had the artist Blondie's image on it. She knew it was the perfect gift for her friend, but she never anticipated that gift would soon become the very object that would be responsible for her and her sisters' newfound romantic feelings.

It was the last day of school for the year, and the three sisters invited their best friend over after school to go swimming in their backyard pool. When Robin showed up, she was wearing the Blondie t-shirt with a pair of swim shorts. Only she had altered the shirt since Buttercup had given it to her. The sleeves were cut off, and the shirt was also cut significantly shorter in length. The crop top came just to the thin girl's rib cage, exposing her abdomen, and for the first time both Buttercup and Blossom noticed Robin's physique in a new way. The young girl's waist and hips formed a perfect hour-glass figure, a shape they never been aware of before then. They noticed for the first time that their friend had the same adorable freckles sprinkled across her belly that she had on her cheeks. They realized then, that their friend seemed illuminated by an angelic, perfect glow, and had a grown grace to her they never noticed before that very moment. Cupid's arrow struck both sisters in one shot that day. From the moment they first saw her in that crop top, they were both hopelessly smitten.

It had been nearly two months since that day, and both girls' crushes had only intensified. Blossom tried to maintain the same friendship with Robin, and tried her best to not let her new feelings affect what they had. Buttercup's approach had been complete and total avoidance of Robin as much as she could manage.

Blossom and Buttercup slowly made their way over to the bumper car line. Robin tried to wave them to the front of the line where she and Bubbles stood, but Blossom shook her head, "No, that's OK," she smiled weakly, and gave her best excuse. "We shouldn't cut in line."

The bumper cars sat two people to each car. Blossom wanted to avoid any awkwardness of who would ride with who, so she regrettably chose to stick with Buttercup at the end of the line. This way Bubbles would naturally ride with Robin, and she and Buttercup could ride in their own separate car. The current riders buzzed to a stop and the gates to the bumper car floor opened.

Bubbles rushed to a bright purple car, pulling Robin along with her. "I'll drive!" she squealed with joy.

Blossom sat behind the wheel of a red bumper car at the opposite end of the metal floored rink. Buttercup crossed her arms in protest, "No way. I'm driving." she demanded.

Blossom also crossed her arms from where she sat behind the metal wheel. "So you can just rampage and crash into everybody here? No way." She fastened her seat belt with a quick snap and placed her hands firmly on the steering wheel again.

"Ugh. That's the _whole point_ of bumper cars! It's to _bump_ the other cars! You're supposed to try and bump everyone before the times up!"

"You always take it too far, Buttercup. I'm driving, so get in." The redhead grasped the steering wheel in her hands firmly, and refused to move.

A loud buzz rang out, and the bumper cars hummed to life. Not seeing any other option, Buttercup begrudgingly plopped down in the passenger side of the bumper car with Blossom. While the other bumper cars started to zip around the arena floor, Buttercup couldn't help but notice that they hadn't moved at all. " _Um_ , let's go, Red?"

"Seat belt," Blossom reminded Buttercup with an innocent smile.

Buttercup returned a scowl, " _Are you kidding me?!_ " She angrily snapped the belt around her waist closed. " _Drive already_!"

Blossom began to carefully steer their car along the perimeter of the circular arena, tactfully avoiding any other vehicles along the way. Buttercup sat with her head in her hands, horrified by what she was sitting passenger to. Blossom couldn't help but smile to herself, happy to have the upper hand. "Lighten up, Buttercup," she laughed.

"You drive like an old lady," Buttercup shook her head in disbelief as her sister managed to avoid yet another collision.

"Well, that's your opinion," she shrugged off the insult, "Personally, I think it takes just as much skill to avoid every single car in here, as it does to hit every single car," she smiled at her sister.

Buttercup rolled her eyes at Blossom, "Whatever you say, Red." She sighed heavily and reclined in her seat.

The two were quiet for a minute before Blossom began to speak again in a somewhat serious tone of voice, "You see what this day's going to consist of too, huh?" she asked her sister without taking her focus off the bumper car floor.

" _Yep_ ," Buttercup answered with her arms crossed, also not looking at her sister. She muttered as she spoke, "Most of these dumb fair rides only sit two people-"

"Robin's going to have to choose-"

"And one of us isn't gonna get picked-"

"Let's just promise that neither of us will take any of her choices personally-"

"It's gonna suck, Bloss."

"Yeah, but, we agreed, Buttercup, that we're sisters and we're not going to let some stupid puppy-love-crush come between sisters-"

"Doesn't mean it won't suck-"

"Of course, it's going to suck! But just _try_ and remember that it's best for everyone if the four of us just remain friends! So it's not like it matters if she chooses to ride the Ferris Wheel with me, and not you. In the end, we're all just friends. So if something like that happens, just don't get upset about it, OK?"

"Why would she choose to ride the Ferris Wheel with you?" Buttercup raised an eyebrow.

"Well, she could choose you, too, sure I guess," Blossom shrugged. Buttercup noticed Blossom's face begin to flush red again.

Buttercup couldn't help but start to laugh as an idea crossed her mind then. "Dammit, Red, don't tell me..."

"You know I wish you and Bubbles would butt out of my head when we're asleep," Blossom's face only grew redder as the embarrassing memory clouded her mind. One of the sisters' shared super powers was the ability to travel into each other's dreams as they slept at night. Not long ago, Bubbles and Buttercup happened to visit her on a night when she dreamed of Robin.

"Oh my _God_ , you were planning to try and kiss her on the Ferris Wheel just like you did in your gross dream!" Buttercup slapped her knee as she busted into uncontrollable laughter.

" _No_!" Blossom shouted in desperation as she swerved to avoid an incoming bumper opponent. "I wasn't planning anything! Just, if it happened... you know... it would be nice."

"Blossom-"

"It's not like it's going to happen or anything!"

"Blossom-"

"It was just a stupid dream!"

" _Blossom!_ " Buttercup shouted louder so she could get her sister's attention. She pointed at the fast approaching purple car that zoomed towards them from their right side. Behind the wheel of that car was Bubbles who wore a rather determined look on her face as Robin cheered for her.

Blossom saw, but by then it was too late. Bubbles and Robin's car slammed into Buttercup and Blossom's car at full force, spinning Buttercup and Blossom's car into the wall of the arena. The loud buzz which signified the end of the ride then sounded.

Bubbles pumped her fist in the air, and cheered as she approached her sisters, "Oh _yeah_! I got you guys!"

Robin followed after her, still giggling from the fun she just had. She gave both Blossom and Buttercup a quick hug which made each girl's heart flutter. "Happy Birthday, guys!" she grinned a big smile, showing off her dimples.

"Thanks," Buttercup and Blossom answered in unison, each trying their best to hide their excitement.

The group of four girls left through the exit gate together. "So what should we do next?" Bubbles asked.

"How about the roller coaster?" Robin suggested, pointing at the ride entrance to their left.

"Yeah!" Buttercup agreed enthusiastically.

Blossom nodded, "Sure, that sounds fun," she smiled.

As they approached the entrance, Bubbles hesitated with a shy squeak, "I think I'm gonna wait here."

"Bubbles, you're still too afraid to ride the roller coaster? Talk about a big baby-"

Blossom quieted Buttercup with a quick jab to her shoulder.

Robin frowned at Bubbles, "Are you sure, Bubbles? I used to be afraid, but it's really not that bad."

"Think of it this way, Bubbles," Blossom began. "We have the capacity to fly at speeds of over seven thousand miles per hour. We fly at top speed literally every day. This thing is barely as fast as the Professor's car. Robin's right. It's really not that bad."

Bubbles pouted, "I know, I know," she sighed. "I just hate how jiggly and bumpy the ride is. It makes me feel sick. Can I _please_ just wait here?"

Blossom and Buttercup exchanged nervous glances. Robin just smiled reassuringly at her blonde best friend, oblivious to the situation at hand. "OK, we won't be long." Robin turned to Blossom next, "Come on, let's get the front car!" she grabbed Blossom by her wrist and began to lead her up the stairs to the roller coaster's entrance.

Buttercup felt her stomach churn when she saw how fast it took Robin to make her choice. She stood still as she watched Blossom and Robin leave together.

"Come on, Buttercup. Don't you want to ride the coaster, too?" Robin asked when she noticed her green-eyed friend not following.

"Nah," she shook her head, "I think I'm gonna wait with Bubbles," she said with a shrug.

"You sure?" Blossom asked. The redhead's cheeks were flushed once more as Robin still innocently held onto her hand.

Normally seeing her sister so helplessly awkward in front of her crush would make Buttercup laugh and want to mock her, but this time she was not in the mood. "Yeah," she answered plainly.

As soon as Blossom and Robin were gone, Bubbles approached Buttercup. "Are you mad?" she asked quietly.

"No."

"Really?"

" _Really_."

Bubbles watched her dark-haired sister recline against the metal railing of the coaster entrance. Buttercup kept her eyes on her feet as she kicked at the dirt. The skinny teen had her hands shoved into her pants pockets. Bubbles tried to read her expression, but she really couldn't tell what her sister was feeling. For once, she didn't look mad. She actually looked pretty sad. "Hey," Bubbles spoke softly. "Are you OK?"

Buttercup glanced up at her sister and saw a look of concern in the big blue eyes that stared back at her. She forced herself to nod, "Yeah, it's fine," she lied.

Bubbles reclined next to her taller sister against the same railing. She sighed deeply as she glanced over her shoulder, and saw Blossom and Robin board the roller coaster together. She then looked forward and saw the carnival game tent again. " _Hey_!" she accidentally shouted right into her sister's ear.

Buttercup winced at the sudden high pitch exclamation. "What?"

"Will you try and win me a giant Bunny-Bunny at the Ring Toss game?!" Bubbles grabbed her sister by the arm and began to bounce with anticipation. "Robin tried for me earlier but she couldn't even land a single ring!"

"Why don't you win one yourself? I'm sure your aim is good enough to do it."

"But it's more fun when someone wins a carnival prize for you! Please, please, _please_! I'll love you forever!"

"OK, OK, fine," Buttercup rolled her eyes. "Let's go."

The blue and green Powerpuffs made their way over to the Ring Toss tent. The object of the game was to land three metal rings around three of the glass bottles that sat on a table. "Three tries is five dollars, or you can do ten tries for ten," the game's attendant explained as Bubbles and Buttercup neared the station.

"I only need three," Buttercup handed a five dollar bill to the man. As she did, she recognized his face immediately. "Woah, hey, Ace," she smiled.

"Oh my gosh it _is_ Ace! How did I not notice you before?!" Bubbles said with wide eyes. She smiled cheerfully, "How are you, Ace?"

The former Gangreen Gang member hadn't changed much. He was still a tall, slender built man with a sickly, olive green complexion. His hair was black, long, greasy and sat shoulder length. He wore a hat and uniform provided by the carnival, but still wore his black shades despite there being no sun at seven o'clock in the evening. He returned a smile to his two former enemies, "Hey, girls. Long time, no see." He slapped three rings down in front of Buttercup at the table. "Happy Birthday, by the way." he added.

"Thanks," Buttercup picked up the three rings, and tossed them all at once. The metal hoops hooked seamlessly around three separate bottles with a loud clink.

" _Dammmn_ , I should give you two prizes for that move!" Ace whistled. He lowered his sunglasses a little after witnessing the impressive toss.

"Just one giant Bunny-Bunny please!" Bubbles bounced up and down with excitement as she watched him retrieve her long awaited prize. She snatched it from Ace's hands as soon as she could, hugging the giant plushy that was half her size with all her might. "Yay! Thank you, Buttercup!"

Buttercup just smirked as she watched her sister become overwhelmed by pure joy and contentment.

"Hey," Ace pointed at Buttercup with the hook he had used to pull down the giant rabbit. "Cool shirt, Kid."

Buttercup grinned back, "Thanks, Dude. They're kinda my favorite band."

"Oh yeah? What's your favorite album?"

A big smile swept the teen's face. Bubbles couldn't help but notice her sister's face completely light up as she answered, "Oh, Man! It's _so_ hard to choose, like, I love literally _everything_ by them. But I gotta say it's a tie probably between their first album and _London Calling_."

"Hell yeah. _Jimmy Jazz_ is my jam."

Buttercup laughed, "Dude, I can totally see that."

Bubbles stood there, practically in tears by how happy she was to see her sister smiling and socializing. She had no idea what the two were talking about, but all she knew was that her sister was wearing a genuine smile on her face for the first time all day. In the distance, she spotted Blossom and Robin leaving the exit of the roller coaster. She zipped over to them in a quick flash of blue light. " _BLOSSOM, BUTTERCUP IS MAKING FRIENDS!_ " she shouted immediately as she appeared before them.

Blossom's pink eyes widened and she smiled. "Really?"

Bubbles bounced up and down, nodding and pointing eagerly towards their green-eyed sister at the Ring Toss tent.

Blossom's eyes followed where her sister pointed. She didn't immediately recognize who her sister was talking to. It took her about twenty seconds to recognize the greasy haired gangster, and once she did, she suddenly lost her reason to smile. "Oh no," she shook her head disapprovingly.

"What?" Bubbles questioned.

"Who is it?" Robin asked, confused.

" _Ace_ ," Blossom answered Robin. "Bubbles, what's wrong with you? You know he's a villain. Buttercup shouldn't be looking for those types of friends. It's dangerous. Who knows what kind of motives he might have."

Bubbles crossed her arms. " _Was_ a villain, _duh_." She frowned at her tall sister, "That was, like, so long ago! He seems really nice now. Look! He's got a job and everything. He's not breaking the law anymore. If he did, he would be locked away for life just like his old gang!"

Blossom blinked at Bubbles, shocked at her position. "He's got to be like twenty-two... maybe twenty-three or twenty-four by now! What kinda old creep would want to be friends with a thirteen-year-old girl?"

"People change, Blossom," Robin added her opinion quietly. "He could be a nice guy now," she shrugged. "Let's go say 'hi' and see."

Blossom bit her lip as she wrestled with the idea of her possibly misinterpreting the situation. Her gut told her this looked like bad news. She knew her sister was turning into a bit of a loner as of late, but did it really mean it was OK for her to make friends with an ex-con? It was difficult for her, but she tried to keep an open mind as the three of them made their way towards the game tent. However, once she saw Ace casually light up a cigarette as he laughed with her sister, Blossom's gut screamed " _Bad_ _news_."

"You know, my band does a cover of _White Riot_ ," Ace continued to talk music with the teenager as he lit his cigarette and took a deep drag. He held the smoke in his lungs as he continued, "Only we call our version _Green Rio_ t," he tilted his head back and released the tobacco smoke into the air.

"No shit?" Buttercup laughed. "That sounds awesome, Dude."

Ace held up a finger as he reached for something in his back pocket, balancing the burning cigarette between his lips. He pulled out a small, black business card and handed it to Buttercup. "My band's got a show tomorrow night if you're interested. At my place of business."

"You own a business?" Buttercup raised an eyebrow as she took the card from him.

"Don't judge me, Kid," he lectured as he blew more smoke. "This job is just a way to get more people to the shop and to the big show tomorrow. You're in luck, 'cause that was my last card right there." He took another drag as Buttercup studied the green writing on the simple black card. The only information it held was an address on the east side of downtown Townsville, the letters "GGC," and in smaller writing at the very bottom of the card, "Ages 21 plus." " _Mm_ ," Ace paused to empty his lungs with a quick puff, "Yeah ignore that part. You're good if you decide to swing by. Just remember this invite is for Cool-Cuppo, a'ight? Not Coppo-Cuppo."

"No worries, Dude. I've been off-duty for years now," Buttercup quickly stashed the card in her back pocket. "Are you gonna play _Green Riot_?"

"Hell yeah. Our fans can't get enough of that one." Ace extinguished his cigarette on the sole of his sneaker. "Yo, here come your sisters." He stood up a little straighter, like he would if being approached by a police officer. "Good evening, Blossom," he greeted and tipped his hat in her direction with his best charming smile. "I already told your sisters 'happy birthday,' but now I can say it to yous, too," he grinned. "Happy Birthday, Kid."

Blossom forced a smile on her face, "Thank you," she replied. She then immediately turned to Buttercup, "It's getting late. Don't forget we're having cake at the house at eight. If we want to ride anymore rides, then we better get going."

Buttercup shrugged in response, "Yeah, sure, whatever," she muttered.

"OK, then let's go!" Blossom clapped her hands together, and started to lead the way out from the game tent.

Buttercup glanced at Ace who held his hand out for a low-five.

As the teenager slapped her hand against his, he gave her a kind smile, "See ya around, Kid."

"Yeah, see ya," she said in a glum tone as she walked away.

Ace watched as the group of girls walked off in the distance. Blossom walked ahead, while Bubbles walked, arm in arm with her brown-haired bestie, and Buttercup trailed behind, kicking the dirt as she went. Ace retrieved his unfinished cigarette from his shirt pocket and re-ignited it with his lighter. He took a deep drag as he shook his head to himself, " _Man_ ," he breathed, exhaling the smoke from his lungs, "That poor kid is fucking miserable."

"OK," Robin began as she and her friends entered the amusement park area of the fair once more. "We probably only have time for one more ride, so what should we ride?"

"How about the Ferris Wheel?" Blossom's mouth made the suggestion before her mind could fully ration why.

"Yeah!" Robin agreed with a smile. She glanced over her shoulder at Buttercup who still trailed from behind. "Buttercup, you wanna sit with me on the Ferris Wheel?" she gave Buttercup her biggest, brightest smile.

Buttercup stopped in her tracks and so did Blossom. Her mouth was agape, "You wanna sit with me?"

"Yeah! Why not?" Robin laughed. "Don't tell me you're _afraid of heights_!" she joked.

Bubbles couldn't help but join in with Robin's laughter, completely unaware of the drama that would inevitably rise from this decision. " _Afraid of heights!_ " she roared with laughter, "She's not _obviously_! She _flies_!"

Buttercup also started to laugh, but it was more so because of her rising nerves than the corny joke her crush just told. "Heh, sure. I'll sit with you, Robin," she smiled weakly.

Robin took Buttercup by the wrist and lead her towards the brightly lit entrance of the Ferris Wheel. Blossom stood there, frozen still in shock. She had previously felt so great, riding the roller coaster with Robin, but she would have gladly traded Buttercup the coaster for the Ferris Wheel. It wasn't as if she really expected to have her fist kiss with Robin on the Ferris Wheel that night. It was just a nice fantasy she had, and now it was as if any chance of that fantasy coming true just got ripped away from her. Maybe she could have kissed Robin? She would never get to know now, and that's what hurt most.

Bubbles' laughter had finally stopped and she noticed Blossom's sad expression as she stood there watching Buttercup and Robin. Bubbles frowned, "Oh no... Come on, Blossom, you know this doesn't mean anything." She gave her sister a reassuring smile.

Blossom sighed heavily, "I know." She started towards the entrance of the Ferris Wheel with her pig-tailed sibling. "It still sucks though," she muttered.

The ride to the top was filled with complete and awkward silence for Buttercup and Robin. Buttercup kept her eyes forward and focused on the lights of the city of Townsville. Some people would call the view romantic. " _Some_ ," Buttercup thought to herself, " _But why does this feel like a nightmare?_ "

"Hey, Buttercup," Robin's soft voice interrupted Buttercup's thoughts.

Buttercup glanced at Robin, and saw her for the first time with the twinkle of the city's lights as her backdrop. Her crush's teal eyes sparked as bright as the city's skyline. Buttercup just stared, unable to vocalize an answer of any kind.

"Can I ask you something?" Robin asked, sounding a little afraid.

Buttercup nodded and held her breath as she waited for Robin to continue.

"Are you mad at me?" she asked, sounding a little sad.

Buttercup blinked at her for a moment. "Mad? At _you_? Why the hell would I be mad at you?" she questioned, confused.

"So, you're not?" Robin clasped her hands together, as if saying a prayer.

" _No_!" Buttercup shouted. "What made you think that?"

Robin breathed a big sigh of relief. "Oh my gosh, I really thought you were mad at me," she laughed nervously. "It just feels like you've been avoiding me a whole lot lately, so I thought maybe I did something or said something-"

"Dude, you're cool," Buttercup shook her head and laughed nervously with her. "Like... I dunno. I've just had a lot on my mind lately, you know? I'm... _sorry_... if it seemed like I was mad at you."

Robin couldn't help but throw her arms around Buttercup in that moment and hug her tightly. Buttercup was frozen still as Robin embraced her. Buttercup felt her heart start to pound fiercely in her chest as she waited for Robin to finish her hug, but the girl held on as she spoke, "You're one of my best friends, Buttercup."

Buttercup felt a lump in her throat. She swallowed before she answered back, "You too, Robin," she meekly patted Robin on the back with one hand.

Robin pulled away at last. She reclined in her seat and took in the beautiful scenery of the city below. Buttercup sat back, too, and the two were quiet again. Buttercup watched Robin from the corner of her eyesight. The girl looked at peace watching the lights of Townsville twinkle in the nigt. The evening wind caused her long brown hair to sway gently with the breeze as the Ferris Wheel continued to turn. Buttercup could feel her face grow hot as she battled with the idea of attempting a kiss, but ultimately decided against it. As much as it would have been nice to rub that one in Blossom's face, the fear of rejection was still too strong. Besides, even Buttercup had to admit that that would have been a low blow, especially on her sister's birthday of all days.

* * *

Later that night, the Powerpuff Girls continued their birthday celebration at home. They had a simple, pink strawberry cake decorated with thirteen brightly colored candles. Professor Utonium was sure to invite their best friend Robin, Ms. Keane, and Mayor Bellum to their home to help sing happy birthday to his daughters. Their guests stayed to enjoy their own slice of cake, and watch the girls open their birthday gifts, but left shortly after. It had been a long day, after all.

As soon as their guests were gone, Buttercup retreated to her room to be in solitude like she preferred. Bubbles also went to her room, excited to try out the new art easel the Professor had given her as her gift. Blossom stayed downstairs and began to help the Professor clear the table.

"You don't have to do that, Sweetie," Professor Utonium said to his redheaded daughter. "It's still your birthday. You should go up to your room like your sisters, and do something fun, or relaxing."

"That's OK, Professor," Blossom smiled as she gathered the silverware from the table. "I want to help." She followed the Professor to the kitchen where they began to load the dishwasher together.

"Can I ask you something, Blossom?" Professor asked.

"What is it?"

"Do you feel challenged at all at school?"

Blossom couldn't help but laugh in response.

"Is it that easy for you?" the Professor also chuckled.

"Well... yeah," Blossom shrugged. "But I like my friends, and that makes school OK, I guess."

"I see... So you would be sad then if you had to leave your friends?"

Blossom raised an eyebrow. "What are you saying, Professor?" Her mind then jumped to the worst scenario she could think of: "Are we moving?!"

"No, no, no," Professor shook his head. "Ms. Keane suggested today that maybe I should consider having you girls tested for the advanced placement program at school."

Blossom sighed with relief, "Jeez, Professor, you scared me for a second there." She paused as she considered the Professor's initial question. "Well, if we did skip a grade or two, sure I'd be a little sad to not see my same friends every day in class, but it's not like I'd lose them completely or anything. We'd just be in different grades."

The father and daughter pair finished loading the dishwasher of all the dirty dishes. Blossom followed the Professor as he left the kitchen and returned to the dining room. She noticed the Professor frown at the sight of Buttercup's presents still sitting at the dining room table where she had opened them. He sighed heavily as he peered into the large box of assorted basketball equipment that he had gifted his daughter that night. "I guess she's not into basketball anymore?" he asked Blossom.

" _No way_ ," Blossom answered. "I thought you knew she quit everything basketball last year after the whole Mitch incident."

"What 'Mitch incident?'" the Professor asked.

Blossom's mouth dropped. "She never told you?"

The Professor shook his head, "No. What happened? Are they not friends anymore?"

" _No way_ ," Blossom answered again, "Knowing Buttercup, she's going to hate that guy for the rest of her life for what happened." Blossom saw the Professor still wore a lost expression on his face, so she gave the short version of the story to catch him up: "Last year, Mitch and Buttercup were playing basketball in our backyard when Mitch tried to kiss her. She punched him. Pretty hard, too. I think she chipped three teeth. He called her-" Blossom stopped, "...a _bad word_ ," she censored herself. "Anyways, they had a big fight about everything, and Buttercup told him to get lost forever."

Blossom watched the Professor as he picked the basketball from the green-colored box that sat on the table. The scientist didn't say anything more. He just tucked the orange ball under one arm and began to ascend the staircase. He walked to the last door on the left- Buttercup's room. He knocked on the door, but got no reply. "Buttercup, Sweetie?" he called out and knocked once more.

It took a minute, but Buttercup finally opened her door. " _What_?" she asked, sounding annoyed.

The Professor held onto the basketball with both his hands, and smiled at his tomboy daughter, "Hey, how about you and me shoot some hoops, Sweetheart?"

Buttercup stared back at him with confusion. "It's... night time."

"Well, we have the porch lights. That should be fine. Unless, of course, you're too tired. I understand if that's the case. I know you've had a big, long day-"

" _Yeah_ ," Buttercup answered quickly. "That's it. I'm tired. Good night, Professor."

"Well, maybe tomorrow then-" before he could finish, the black-haired girl slammed her bedroom door closed again.

Blossom felt like she could feel the Professor's heart break right in that moment. She couldn't believe just how rude her sister was when the Professor was clearly trying to make an effort with her. She waited for the Professor to disappear into his own bedroom at the opposite end of the hall. She then made her way into her sisters room. She walked straight inside, without bothering to knock. "What's your problem, Buttercup?!" she demanded as soon as she got through the door.

Buttercup was lying on her belly on her twin-sized mattress, flipping through a comic book. She sat up, planting her feet on the wood flooring of her bedroom, and crossed her arms, " _Jeez_ , what the hell is _your_ problem?!" she demanded in return.

"The way you just treated the Professor!" Blossom exclaimed in disbelief. "How could you just slam the door in his face like that?"

Buttercup rolled her eyes. "Mind your own business, Kiss-Ass."

"You know, Buttercup, you have to be the most selfish person on the planet!"

"What the hell makes _me_ selfish?!" Now she was really pissed. "Because I didn't ask for donations in place of presents like you did this year?!"

"We had a really fun day today!" Blossom shouted back, "It's our _birthday_! The entire city devoted a whole day to just us! Can't you see how incredible that is?! You had a thousand people tell you how much they love you today! There are people out there with no affection in their lives and you just take yours completely for granted! You even got to ride the Ferris Wheel with Robin-"

"Oh _God_ , get over it! _News Flash_ : _No one gives a shit about the stupid Ferris Wheel except you, Blossom!_ "

"All day long, everyone just tried their best to make sure that _YOU_ were _HAPPY_! And still you come home and act like-"

"Like _what?_!"

"Like _this_!"

"Oh, OK, well I guess I'm just selfish then!" Buttercup scoffed. "Is that _it?_ " She glared at her sister who stood there, still staring back at her with a look of disgust on her face. " _What?_!" Buttercup snapped again. The teenager rose to her feet, and gripped her hands in two tight fists, feeling them grow strangely hot. "Is there anything else I should know about myself? _Hmm_ , Red? _What is it?_! _GO ON! TELL ME_! " she continued to scream louder and louder.

Blossom just stared back with equal amount of rage in her pink eyes. She had no intention of pushing her sister this far. Truthfully, it was a moment in which she acted before she fully thought everything out. But seeing Buttercup disrespect their father like that was enough to drive Blossom to a point of anger she wouldn't normally reach. It was the breaking point in a overall, stressful day for her.

Buttercup stood, challenging her sister with a growing fire in her eyes. How dare her sister barge into her room and start lecturing her out of nowhere. As the anger rose inside her, she could feel the Chemical X begin to boil within her veins. Suddenly she felt a sharp, painful jolt strike both her palms at once. Instantly she felt her fingers almost lock into place, firmly stuck in the fists she had formed with both her hands. Her balled up fists ignited for a moment in bright green flames and electricity. The strange electrified, green fire came on with a rush of excruciating pain in the teenagers' hands, and she immediately fell to her knees in pain, still bearing her hands in tight fists as they shone brightly for a full minute with a growing, glowing green light. She screamed out in agony, as she felt the surging energy in her palms grow hotter and hotter. She fought to unlock her fingers from their tight grasp- desperate to get rid of the intense energy they held- but they would not open.

Blossom immediately became concerned. "Buttercup, what's going on?" she questioned as she watched her sister double over in pain. She noticed her sister's green eyes begin to water from whatever she was experiencing.

Bubbles heard the commotion and was next to enter the room. "What's happening?" she questioned.

"I don't know!" Blossom shouted. "Stay here with Buttercup!" she instructed as she rushed out of the room, calling for the Professor.

Professor Utonium was already on his way down the hall, having heard the screaming for himself. When he and Blossom reentered the room, Bubbles stood over Buttercup who lie on the floor on her side, in a fetal position. Her hands were still grasped tightly in fists, but the glowing and fire was gone.

"Buttercup!" the Professor rushed to his daughter who lie on the ground, still wincing from the pain. "Can you tell me, Sweetie, what's going on?!"

"Her hands were on _fire_!" Blossom shouted.

Professor knelt down beside Buttercup and reached towards her hands which she kept safely guarded, close to her chest, and still balled up in two tight fists. Buttercup jerked away instinctively, but eventually allowed the Professor to take both of her hands in his. He gently opened her palms, and saw nothing.

"Didn't you see it, Bubbles?" Blossom questioned.

Bubbles shook her head, "No..." Bubbles wasn't sure what to make about the scene she witnessed. All she knew was that she could hear her sisters fighting, so she came to the room to try and break up the two of them. She saw Buttercup on the floor, crying from pain, and that was when Blossom rushed out of the room for the Professor.

"There's nothing here," the Professor said definitively as he turned Buttercup's hands over and over. Still, he could tell something was wrong. Buttercup still lie on the ground, sweat dripped from her forehead, she looked pale, and she had clearly just been experiencing a lot of pain. He tried to help his dark-haired daughter to her feet, but as soon as she started to stand, she buckled again under her own weight, and he had to keep her from falling. " _Easy_ ," he said as he caught her.

"What _happened_?" Buttercup groaned as she struggled to stay standing, grasping her head with one hand. Her weight buckled at her knees again, and Bubbles immediately stepped in to help her keep her balance.

"That's what we were hoping you could tell us," the Professor answered Buttercup. He observed her closely as she still wavered to find balance. "What are you feeling, Buttercup?" he questioned.

"Dead tired," she answered, fighting to keep her eyes open. She yawned big, and lost her balance again, falling once again into her shorter sister's arms.

Blossom watched from the doorway, unsure of what to do, and still in complete shock as to what had just happened. She watched as Bubbles and the Professor helped Buttercup onto her bed. Buttercup appeared either too dizzy or too weak to move fully on her own. As soon as her head hit the pillow of her bed, her eyes closed, as if she immediately slipped into either sleep or unconsciousness, Blossom couldn't tell. "Professor..." she began quietly.

"You girls watch over your sister," the Professor instructed, "Let me grab a few things from the lab. I'll be right back." He left the room in a hurry, pushing past Blossom in the doorway.

Bubbles sat at the foot of Buttercup's bed. She reached for her sister's hand, and felt that her skin was indeed, still warm to the touch. "What happened, Blossom?"

"I- I don't know," Blossom began, her mind raced with the events that just played out. "We were arguing and all of a sudden she started screaming, and that's when I noticed her hands were... _on fire_."

Just then the Professor returned with his small black medical bag the girls hadn't had a use for in years. He started by taking his daughter's temperature, blood pressure, and lastly listened to her heart. He blinked in confusion, and both Bubbles and Blossom asked eagerly in unison, " _What?_ "

The Professor returned the equipment to his bag. "She appears to be fine," he announced. "A slight fever, an obvious considerable depletion of energy... but other than that everything seems normal."

Both girls felt relief, but still felt confused.

"What happened, Blossom?" the Professor asked again.

"We were just arguing. Suddenly, she was screaming, and her fists turned into balls of green fire!" Blossom desperately explained once more.

"What were you arguing about?" Bubbles asked.

Blossom paused, "I-I don't even remember. Does that matter? It was just about everything that happened today pretty much!"

The Professor scratched his chin in deep thought as he stared at his sleeping daughter. "Did you two physically fight at all?" he questioned next.

" _No_!" Blossom insisted. "I mean... it felt like it might go there tonight," she confessed quietly. "But then that's when she started crying in pain, and we stopped everything."

"Maybe she just tired herself out from how angry she got," Bubbles suggested. "Remember the tantrums she used to throw when we were younger? She'd sleep really good after those meltdowns."

"No, no, this was definitely different," Blossom insisted. She looked to her father, who still appeared deep in thought. "Professor?" she asked. "Do you have any ideas?"

Professor Utonium was at a loss. He shook his head, "Possibly an overcharge of energy somehow?" he theorized out loud, "Perhaps your argument overheated her power system so to speak. Like Bubbles said, an extreme meltdown of some kind... That could definitely be a possibility..." The Professor reached for Buttercup's green bedding and pulled her quilted comforter over her, and tucked her gently into bed for the night. "At any rate," the Professor sighed, "Let's leave her to get some rest. We should all be in bed by now, anyway."

Professor Utonium held both Blossom and Bubbles by their shoulders as he guided them out of Buttercup's room. He paused at the doorway, watching Buttercup sleep soundly for a moment, before turning out the light and closing the door behind him. The Professor waited in the hall until he saw both Bubbles and Blossom retire for the night to their respective rooms. He immediately descended the stairs and made his way to his lab. That night, he wouldn't get any rest for himself. Instead, he pulled an all-nighter in his basement laboratory, searching everywhere he could for some type of answer to this strange "meltdown."

By sunrise, he had found nothing.


	2. Peace Offering

**Villain: Redux**

**Part I: Remote Control**

**Chapter 2 - Peace Offering  
**

The neighborhood of Boil Heights was considered the "far corner" of Townsville. Located on the east side of Downtown Townsville, Boil Heights was labeled as one of those "unlivable" areas in Townsville's early history. During that time, the area was to be avoided due to the intimidating population of green-skinned natives who lived there by the Townsville River. Settlers feared they somehow related to the monsters of Monster Isle. It took some decades, but overtime they realized the river people were harmless, and did not crave human flesh like the beasts from the island. In fact, the river people were just as human as they. Just green humans, as it turned out.

As Townsville developed into a true community, Boil Heights was founded, and both natives and settlers came together. The area was named after the record heat the riverside community would face every summer. Today, the reason many would still call the area "unlivable," was because of this worsening fact. They called it "Boil Heights" for the basin's brutal heat, and the temperature only intensified with every summer. The land itself seemed to be sunken and it created a pocket of literally boiling lands. The hot, concrete neighborhood's borders ran along the Townsville River- the barrier between the east side and the heart of Downtown Townsville.

The concrete streets of East Downtown were mostly deserted during the day. This was especially true in the summer. The heat kept everybody indoors, close to their home air-conditioner units. Today, at just nine 'o clock in the morning, the temperature was already at a brutal 112 degrees Fahrenheit. The wall AC in Ace's one bedroom apartment struggled to maintain a decent temperature, as Ace worked in the kitchen. Normally, he wouldn't be crazy enough to be using the stove on such a hot morning, but today was an exception. It would be the last morning he would have the opportunity to cook breakfast in the apartment he had lived in for the last five years of his life. It was his first real place of his own, other than the run-down shack of a clubhouse he and his gang built as teens in the Townsville dump. He got his first tattoo in that apartment. It was where he had celebrated not only his own twenty-first birthday, but also his best friends Snake, Billy, Grubber, and Arturo's twenty-first birthday ragers all went down in that very apartment. Arturo's pregnant girlfriend's water broke on that apartment's kitchen floor. And when his cousin Arturo was locked up, Ace took that baby girl in himself and raised her in that apartment. Sophia was two when her father Arturo was sentenced to life in the Villains Ward. That was three years ago.

The complex was called Highland Park Suites. His apartment number was twenty-seven, and it was the third unit to the left of the elevator, on the fourth floor. If you somehow got to the apartment with six cats in the window, you had gone too far. The tiny, four-hundred and fifty square foot apartment with shaggy grey carpet that had once been beige, was home to him and his goddaughter, Sophia. And while it wasn't the fanciest of places, it was still their home.

The blazing heat was enough to make anyone feel hazy, but Ace felt particularly out of it that morning. He even chose to skip his usual morning dose of cannabis. His head was clouded enough as he had to face a reality he wished wasn't true. The sixty-day notice to move was nailed to his door sixty days ago. Today was moving day, and unfortunately the day him and Sophia would have to say goodbye to the place they called home.

"Nino!" the tiny five-year-old cried out as she ran into the kitchen, "Nino, you're burning it!"

Ace had spaced out as he stood over the burning bacon that he cooked on the stove. When Sophia shouted at him, he snapped back into focus and quickly turned down the burner. "Woah!"

"Nino, you're sucha fool," the little girl giggled as she watched her uncle scrape the now charcoal-like breakfast meat from the pan.

Ace laughed along with her, "Me? A fool? Nah, I just like mine extra crispy," he said with a smile as he fixed a plate of chorizo and bacon for Sophia, giving her the least burnt pieces.

"What about toast?" Sophia asked.

"Sorry, Kid. The toaster is at the shop already."

"With our couch, and my bed, and the TV-"

"Yep," Ace handed Sophia her plate of breakfast, and took his own from the kitchen counter, "And our table!" he added with a dramatically exaggerated gasp.

The five-year-old's brown eyes widened as she gasped, too, "Then where do we eat breakfast, Nino?"

"Right here!" Ace slid down, with his back against the kitchen counter, and plopped down onto the yellow tile of the kitchen floor. He crossed his legs and sat his plate of breakfast down in front of him. Sophia then mimicked what he had done, plopping down right beside her uncle.

As the pair began breakfast, Ace heard a loud banging coming from his apartment's front door. "Stay here," he instructed Sophia as he rose to his feet.

"But it's almost nine thirty!"

"I'll be back in time. I promise," he said as he walked from the kitchen into the living area.

Ace answered the door, and it was his former landlord. A short, elderly man with a bald head, but an aggressive mustache. The white-collared shirt he wore was stained yellow with sweat. "Do I smell you making breakfast in here? What are you still doing here?!" the short man stood as if he were ten feet tall.

Ace crossed his arms, "Notice said we have till eight tonight. We'll be gone soon."

"All the other tenants managed to get out of here with enough time to spare!" the landlord continued to lecture. "I should have known you of all people would take your sweet time, and make this difficult for me!"

"Difficult for you?" Ace almost laughed. "Yo, the only reason why everyone rushed outta here so fast was because of you constantly harassing everyone about moving every day since you got that greedy check of yours when you sold the damn building-"

"You know I could have made that sixty-day notice a thirty-day one right? That's all the law requires. Now, I've been more than generous. You've had plenty of time to secure a new residence. So, I don't know if you and your kid are planning to squat here, but-"

"We ain't no squatters," Ace interrupted with a stern look. "We're leaving."

"Good," the landlord gave a fake smile, before he turned to leave, "And it better be before eight!" he added.

Ace watched his landlord walk to the elevator down the hall. His anger got the best of him and he shouted at the landlord before the doors to the elevator closed: "You know, Mrs. Jackson in twenty-nine is living in her car right now, Asshole!"

Ace closed the door to his apartment and returned to the kitchen. As he sat back down beside Sophia on the kitchen floor, his niece smiled at him innocently. His anger melted away, and he continued to enjoy his breakfast once more.

"Now remember, if Daddy asks you what we're doing today-"

"I know, we are going to the park to feed the ducks! NOT moving!" she answered with a big grin.

"That's right," Ace said with a proud smile.

"How come Daddy can't know we're moving, Nino?" the little girl tugged on her braided brown hair with her stubby little fingers.

Ace paused for a moment, contemplating his answer. He scratched the stubble on his chin, "Because... well, we want to surprise him with news of our brand new, big house! But, of course, we gotta find the right house first. _Thennn_ we'll tell your daddy."

"OK!"

As Ace cleaned off their plates in the kitchen sink, he felt his phone begin to vibrate in his back pocket. He quickly wiped his hands dry using his shirt and answered his cell, placing it on speaker, "Hello?"

"You have a call from an inmate in Townsville Correctional. Do you accept the charges?"

"Yes," Ace answered, and then held the phone to his three-foot-tall niece.

"HIIIII, DADDYYYYY!" Sophia squealed into the phone with all her tiny might.

"Hey, Baby Girl!" Arturo's voice came through the cellular device. "How's my pretty girl doing this morning?"

"Good!" she bounced as she spoke. "How are you, Daddy?"

"I'm fine, mija," Arturo answered. "So tell me, what are your plans for today?"

Sophia held her hands over her mouth, stifling a small giggle, before she carefully told her well-rehearsed fib: "Um, we're going to the park today! And um, we are going to feed the ducks there!"

"Oh, that sounds like fun! Stay away from those geese though, mija."

Sophia giggled, "OK, Daddy." Sophia gave Ace a big, cheesy smile, as if to tell her uncle, "He believed me!"

"Summer is almost over, isn't it?" Arturo continued, "You're gonna start kindergarten soon! Man, I can't believe what a big girl you are now! You gotta be so excited!"

"Yeah!" the little girl waved her arms in the air with enthusiasm, "And-and guess what?!"

"What?!" Arturo played along.

"Nino got me a Scooby-Doo backpack to wear on my first day!"

"No way! Scooby Doo?!"

"Yeah way! It's blue, and it has Scooby Doo on it, and the zipper is a scooby snack!"

"No _way_!"

Sophia giggled, " _Yeah_ way!"

"That sounds so cool, Baby Girl. You're gonna be the coolest niña en escuela."

"Thanks, Daddy," Sophia wore a big smile.

"OK, Sophia, I only have a minute left. Put your nino on the phone for me. Te quiero mucho, mija."

"I love you too, Daddy! BYYYEEE!" she screamed the last word into the phone before Ace took it off speaker, and placed it to his own ear.

"Ace, she's got everything she needs for school, right?"

"Yeah, Man. I got it handled."

"You've been practicing her Spanish with her, right?"

"Yeah, yeah," Ace answered, sounding less than confident.

"Ace-"

"Yeah, Man, we watch- what's that shit called- Uh, Dora! Yeah, we watch Dora on TV together. Plus, she gets along a lot with my band's drummer, Betty. Betty's always speakin' Spanish to her. She's you know, answering back mostly in English, but she gets it, Dude."

"For real, Ace," Arturo's voice was stern, "I don't want my nina getting hassled in school for being a _guera_. Remember how bad it was for you on your first day of school?"

"Man, those kids had a target on my back because I came in from the Bronx. Not 'cause my Spanish was shit. Besides, that was fifth graders. I don't think kindergarten is that brutal, Bro." Ace waived Sophia back to the phone, "Hey, Soph, tell your daddy somethin' nice in Spanish for him," he held the phone to the little girl.

Sophia shouted with joy: "Me gusta Scooby Doo!"

Ace chuckled at the wild five-year-old who started to wail her arms about as she danced. "See?" Ace said into the phone again, "She's a smart kid, Arturo. She'll be fine."

Ace could hear a sigh of relief on the other end. "Man... I can't believe I won't be there to see my niña off to school on her first big day..." Arturo's voice sounded muffled on the other end.

Ace's smile faded once he heard the sadness in Arturo's voice. "I know, Man," was all Ace could say in response.

It was silent on the other end. That silence told Ace he knew his boy's spirit was draining fast then. Ace placed a hand over the phone's microphone, and whispered to his goddaughter, "Hey, Soph, why don't you go and get your shoes on, mija?" "OK!" Sophia answered as she already ran excitedly out of the kitchen.

Ace continued to speak to Arturo as soon as Sophia was out of earshot. "Listen, Arturo-" he started again, but was immediately interrupted.

"Not today, Man," Arturo cut him off before he could finish. "I don't wanna go over it again. Besides we ain't got the time."

"Yeah..." Ace swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat. "Yeah, you're right," he said. "Just, you know, if I could do it all over again-"

"Ace, Man-"

"For real," Ace was serious in getting his point through. Something told him that his friend had forgotten this, and maybe Arturo didn't have the time, or maybe he wasn't in the mood to go over what happened again. But Ace could hear it in his friend's voice. He needed to be reminded. "If I could do it all over again," Ace continued. "I swear. I would trade places. I swear, Man."

"Yo sé," Arturo answered quietly on the other end. "Thanks for taking care of Sophia," he continued. "It's time for me to go."

"OK, Man. Just... hang in there, OK?"

"Gracias, Man. I am. And I will. Talk to you and Sophia next week."

"'Course, Dude. Talk to you then."

Arturo's hands were bound by metal cuffs. He had to nod to the the armed prison guard, who held the landline telephone to Arturo's ear, to signal that the call was over. The military-equipped officer hung the phone on its receiver. Without speaking, he then escorted Arturo back to his cell, as was routine. Arturo's legs were also bound by chains, and it took several minutes to march down the halls of Townsville Correctional's Villains Ward. This was his routine every Sunday morning. As a lower level prisoner of the Villains Ward, Arturo was permitted one hour of recreation per day. Mondays were his mandated therapy sessions; hardly recreation in his opinion. Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays were shower day, along with library time. Wednesdays he was allowed an hour of television. Sundays' hour of freedom always began with Sunday mass in the prison chapel, and ended with his five-minute phone call to his daughter. Of course, all of these activities took place under strict surveillance by an escort.

As Arturo was walked back to his cell, he was careful to follow the rules. Eyes forward, no speaking. Arturo knew better than to ever try to communicate with any of the other prisoners in the ward. No one in the Villains Ward was ever permitted to interact with one another, and Arturo would never risk losing his phone call privileges with his daughter. Even though he missed his friends Snake, Grubber and Billy terribly. Their recreation times were all different to guarantee their isolation. Also, the cell doors were made of thick, black metal, and there was no seeing in, nor seeing out. So, Arturo wasn't exactly sure who was behind the nine black doors which made up the Villains Ward, but he had some ideas as to who some of his neighbors were.

One, he knew for sure. The ninth cell at the end of the dark metal-paved hall was Mojo Jojo's. He happened to be there to see the notorious villain get wrestled into custody. It happened the same day Arturo was being transferred from general population to the brand new ward. The chimp fought like hell, and resisted his escorting officers until the very moment they slammed the door on him for good. If Arturo had known just what a sentence in the Villains Ward meant then, he would have fought back, too.

Himself, Snake, Grubber and Billy took up another four cells in the ward. Arturo could only guess who else was unlucky enough to call the Villains Ward "home." He knew of many criminals who crossed paths with the Powerpuff Girls back in the day, but not all of them had necessarily been called a "villain." Honestly, he was confused as to why his gang was singled out, but imagined it had to do with some corporate media bullshit. He remembered Sedusa- an evil seductress who caught the Powerpuff's bad side ever since she tried to con their father and creator. She had to be there. There was also that country-loving, pink beast who lived on the edge of Townsville, Fuzzy Lumpkins. Early into his new sentence, Arturo swore he could have heard hollering one day that sounded like him, so he figured he had to be there, too.

Arturo and the rest of the Grangreen Gang hadn't always been in the Villains Ward. Arturo's initial sentence of one to two years was being served in Townsville Correctional's general prison population. He wasn't thrilled about being behind bars, but he was confident that if he kept out of trouble, he'd be out in six months or less. He took the rap for his cousin Ace. Back then, the law was three strikes and you're locked up for life. Ace would have taken his third strike that day if it weren't for Arturo stepping in for him. Arturo had managed to keep his record clean once he learned he was about to be a father, so he had no priors according to his adult record. Clean since eighteen. Especially since his daughter's mother left the picture, he tried his best to keep out of the law's way. But when _familia_ is in trouble- things change. "It was just a stolen pack of cigarettes and some street graffiti," Arturo thought at the time. He never anticipated the Villains Ward to ruin everything.

One month into his time served, Mayor Bellum signed the new law which sent Arturo, Billy, Grubber and Snake all to the Villains Ward upon its grand opening. That decree: "To ensure the everlasting security of Townsville, any criminal deemed a 'villain' will be sentenced to life without parole in Townsville Correctional's Villains Ward." It was that simple. If the newspapers or the evening news called you a "villain" because you managed to get caught up with the Powerpuff Girls more than a few times, then that was enough. You made the enemy list. It didn't matter what the crime was. Being labeled a "villain" meant you were locked up for life. End of story.

Arturo reached the door to his cell where a second armed guard waited for him. The second prison guard unlocked the door, and Arturo stepped over the threshold along with the first guard. It was a two-door system for every cell in the Villain's Ward. The second guard stepped inside and closed the first door behind him, locking it securely. The first guard then removed Arturo's chains and cuffs, while the second guard kept his rifle pointed at Arturo. This was procedure.

Once Arturo's hands and legs were unbound, he moved through the second door into his cell room. That door was then immediately locked behind him, followed by the second. The short, green man made his way to his bunk, and lay himself down. He closed his eyes and remembered the sound of Sophia's giggles on their phone call.

The Villains Ward itself was haunted by an eerie, never-ending silence. If someone had told him he was the only one left in that cold, dark place, he would believe it. He hadn't heard or seen any signs of life other than the prison guards for years now. It was like living in a tomb, Arturo felt. Only tombs were meant for the dead.

If it weren't for the promise of hearing his daughter's voice every Sunday, Arturo might have been dead from grief a long time ago. So he lay there, cherishing the warmth his daughter's voice gave him that morning. It was just enough fuel to get him through another week, until next Sunday's call.

* * *

Blossom was usually the first to awake in the Utonium household. So it was a surprise to her when she could hear the voices of her sister Bubbles and the Professor coming from downstairs as she shut off her 7 AM alarm. She sat up in bed and quickly slipped on her pink, fuzzy slippers she kept at the foot of her bed. As she descended the stairs, moving through the living room and into the kitchen, she untied her braided hair, and started to shake out her curls like she did every morning.

"Good morning," she greeted her dad and sister as she entered the kitchen.

Bubbles stood at the kitchen stove, already finished cooking, but getting four plates of breakfast ready for her family. "Morning, Blossom! You're just in time for french toast!"

Blossom took a plate of food that her sister handed her, "What are you two doing up so early?"

"Well," the Professor began as he took his plate from Bubbles next, "I was actually on my way to bed when your sister came down and found me."

Bubbles, Blossom and the Professor took their food into the dining room, adjacent to the kitchen. "He was up all night!" Bubbles said as she sat at the table. "And I could barely sleep, too," she confessed with a slight frown. "And so I thought I would come downstairs and make french toast. You know, since it's Buttercup's favorite. Maybe it will help her feel better."

Blossom frowned, "You guys were really that freaked out?" She picked at her food with her fork, feeling a wave of guilt suddenly spoil her appetite. Both Bubbles and the Professor lost sleep last night over their concerns for Buttercup, yet she managed to sleep normally. "I mean... I was freaked out too," she added. "But... you two didn't even see how her hands did that weird fire thing."

"Yeah, but hearing her scream like that!" Bubbles physically shivered remembering the sudden pierce of her sister's cries the night before. "I haven't heard a scream that painful since back when we had to fight bad guys. I thought ' _Oh my God_ , Blossom really hurt her' or something!"

"I didn't do anything!" Blossom insisted.

"I never thought you'd do anything on purpose, Blossom. I know she usually starts the fights-"

"But, I _swear_ ," Blossom empathized 'swear' greatly, and looked her sister directly in the eyes as she spoke, " _Nothing_ happened. At least not anything that _I_ did. She just got madder and madder and then... It had to be just a freak accident or something!"

"I believe you, Sweetheart," the Professor gave his redheaded daughter an encouraging smile. "From what you say though, it seems like the event might have been triggered by your sister's emotions." Professor Utonium used a napkin to wipe some syrup from his mouth before he folded his hands, placed them on the table, and continued with a somewhat serious tone: "I want to talk to you both about that," he announced.

"What is it, Professor?" Bubbles asked from across the table. Blossom who sat to her right sat up in her chair, and they waited for the Professor to continue. Both sisters could tell a lecture was coming their way.

"I need you two to go easy on your sister for a while, do you understand?"

Bubbles and Blossom exchanged glances. Blossom spoke up, "No. What do you mean?"

"I think he means let's try not to make her angry," Bubbles said.

"That's right, Bubbles," the Professor said with a nod. "Whatever happened last night could very well happen again. We're lucky the situation seemed to resolve itself. However, we don't know what we're dealing with, and I don't want your sister to have to go through that pain again over a meaningless sibling quarrel."

"But, Professor," Blossom began to defend herself, "She's the one with a sour attitude all the time! She's the one whose always making fun of everyone and hating on literally everything and everyone around her! It's like she's just angry because, well, she chooses to be! She thinks it's cool or something, I don't know! And she's-"

"Blossom," the Professor interrupted, "For the first time last night in a very long time, I was scared. I was scared for one of my girls," he looked Blossom in the eyes as he spoke seriously.

Another wave of guilt washed over Blossom. She hung her head, and kept quiet as she listened to the Professor.

"Your sister's health is what is important here. I know she's been hard to deal with lately. And, trust me, I get that she's not the easiest to get along with, but you have to be the bigger person. I know you two are both quite stubborn, and very opinionated. But is an argument really worth hurting your sister?"

"No," Blossom answered with a frown.

"So be nice. Same for you, Bubbles," the Professor nodded at his blonde daughter.

"Hey don't look at me," Bubbles answered, "I made her french toast."

The Professor simply smiled at Bubbles before he rose to his feet and disappeared into the kitchen for a moment. He reappeared with the fourth plate of food, and handed it to Blossom, "Why don't you go and see if she's awake, Sweetie?" he smiled at Blossom. "Make up with her over last night, OK?"

Blossom returned a weak smile and took the plate from the Professor. She obeyed and slowly made her way to her sister Buttercup's room on the second floor.

"Knock, knock," Blossom announced as she tapped on her sister's shut door. To Blossom's surprise, Buttercup opened her door before she could finish knocking. "Oh. You are up," she said as she stepped inside her sister's room.

Buttercup slammed the door shut behind her tall sister. She returned to her bed where she had her headphones plugged into her laptop computer. She plopped down on the bed, crossing her legs, and placing one of her earbuds into her right ear. "Yeah, I'm up. I'm not hungry though," she nodded towards the plate of food in Blossom's hands.

Blossom sat the plate down anyways in front of Buttercup, covering her laptop's keyboard. "But Bubbles made it just for you. French Toast. Your faves."

" _Ooh, my faves_!" Buttercup mocked sarcastically. She picked up the plate and sat it to the side. "I told you. I'm not hungry."

Blossom could feel herself grow irritated. Not even a minute in her sister's room, and already she was under her skin. Still, Blossom tried to remember the Professor's advice: " _Be the bigger person, Blossom_ ," she repeated in her head. She sat down beside her sister on her bed. Buttercup gave her a suspicious look when she did this.

"I'm sorry about our fight last night," Blossom apologized. "I shouldn't have pushed you so far."

Buttercup blinked back at her. "What fight?"

Blossom frowned a little. "You really don't remember?"

Buttercup shook her head and shrugged. "I remember coming up here after we finished cake and presents. My request of chocolate cake was ignored yet another year, and the fact that I hate strawberries ignored also. Then, I guess I went to bed, or whatever."

Blossom stared at her for a moment before she continued, "How... are you feeling?"

"Fine," Buttercup removed her earbud from her ear, and stared back at Blossom. The two sisters held a staring contest for a full minute, before the green Puff snapped: "What the hell?! Why are you staring at me like that?!"

Blossom shook her head, "Buttercup, you _totally_ freaked out last night."

"Yeah, right-"

"No, I'm serious," Blossom said. "You swear you're not pranking me right now?" she raised an eyebrow.

"No. What the hell?! I don't even know what the hell you're talkin' about, Red."

"Last night. We were arguing and you had, like, this crazy meltdown. Everyone was really scared!"

"Now you're pranking-"

"No, I'm not." Blossom wore a frown. "So. I'm sorry. Even if you don't remember," she sighed.

Buttercup watched Blossom for a while. She replayed what she remembered from the night before, but she truly had no memory of what Blossom was referring to. The whole notion that she lost an entire sequence of events made her feel uncomfortable. She shook off the feeling as best she could, and shrugged off her sister's concerns, "Look. I'm fine," she insisted.

Blossom smiled weakly. She stood from the bed and looked around her sibling's room. Buttercup's room was a cluttered mess, like usual. "Today is the first Sunday of the month," she began as she walked around the perimeter of Buttercup's room, starting to gather the various articles of clothing that were scattered across the floor.

"If this is you inviting me to your dumb volunteer work stuff again, I'm still not interested," Buttercup remained on her bed, and returned her attention to her laptop once more.

"It's not dumb," Blossom defended out of habit. She stopped and tossed the laundry she had gathered into a green, plastic laundry basket in the corner of the room. "The Townsville Food Bank always needs volunteers, Buttercup," she tried again with a smile. "Bubbles and I have a lot of fun when we go, and-" she zipped over to her sister, sitting beside her on the bed once more, and gave her sister a wide grin, "You also get a coupon for a free shake at Shake Shack if you volunteer!"

Buttercup only rolled her eyes in response.

"Come on, it'll be fun!" she gave Buttercup a playful poke on the arm.

"Doubt it."

Blossom sighed. "OK, fine. Suit yourself," she surrendered. "Just gonna stay up here listening to your music then?"

"That's the plan," Buttercup said, sticking her earbud back in her right ear.

Blossom could hear the loud noise coming from her sister's earbuds, as Buttercup raised the volume to its maximum. Before Buttercup could take her other earbud, Blossom took the left earpiece and placed it in her own ear. Her intentions were well. Maybe she could try bounding with her sibling through music? But Blossom wasn't prepared for what she would hear- distorted noise and clashing guitar chords, women screaming and men crying " _Let me out of here! Let me out! Let me OUT!_ " and the sounds of people choking and dramatically gasping for air. Blossom couldn't help but immediately yank the device out from her ear, "Oh my _God_ , what on Earth are you listening to?!"

Buttercup snorted as she laughed, "It's crazy, right?"

"Crazy is certainly one word for it," Blossom stared back in horror. "I would also call it disturbing, nightmare-inducing, sick, and-"

"You just don't get it," Buttercup laughed at her sister. "Chemical Warfare by the Dead Kennedys. It's a classic," she picked up the left earbud and placed it in her ear, turning her music volume up once more.

Blossom shook her head at her sister who started to bang her head aggressively to the music that blasted into her eardrums. "Is that the stuff you and Robin listen to together?"

Buttercup heard nothing, but saw her sister's lips move. " _WHAT?_ " she shouted over her music.

Blossom rolled her eyes, and waited for Buttercup to remove one of her earbuds before she asked again: "Is that the type of music you and Robin listen to?"

Buttercup smirked a little. "Nah, they're too hardcore for her. She's into that pop-punk. Like Blondie. Still a cool band though, just you know, kinda girly."

Blossom breathed a sigh of relief. The idea that Robin could enjoy the noise she just heard was something that disturbed her perfect idea of her. She was glad to learn that was not the case. Blossom watched Buttercup take a piece of french toast and take a casual bite, as she fidgeted with her laptop on her lap. As she watched her sister, she couldn't help but think: "Could Robin really like her better than me?" Everything about Buttercup was rough. Her short, black hair stuck out in all different directions, still messy from her erratic sleeping habits. The way she obnoxiously chewed her food as she rocked her head to the beat of her barbaric music. Her sister was as thin as a board, boyish in every way, and her posture was always slouched and lazy. Buttercup was like that music blaring in her ears- loud and aggressive. But Robin? Robin was soft. Robin was kind. Robin was friendly, and could light up the room with her dimple-cheeked smile. What could a girl like Robin ever see in a girl like Buttercup? The insecurity that came from Robin's Ferris Wheel choice still haunted Blossom. She stared at her sister, questioning all these things, and she had to actively push away her pessimistic feelings once more.

Blossom's eyes fell on the door to her sister's closet. Buttercup's closet was made up of all boys' clothing, and primarily band t-shirts. The only piece of girl's clothing that hung in her closet was her green dress which was her super-hero uniform. "You know, I've been thinking about what you said yesterday about our uniforms."

"Oh, yeah?" Buttercup raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah," Blossom smiled at her. "It probably is best to retire them. I mean, we are thirteen now."

"Exactly! Oh my God! _Finally_ , Leader-Girl is proposing something good for once!" Buttercup pumped her fist in the air in celebration.

"We'll just have to design new ones," Blossom added with matched excitement.

Buttercup lowered her fist, her own enthusiasm deflating, "Ugh. I can see where that's gonna go..."

"Don't worry," Blossom said with confidence, "Whatever we come up with, we will decide upon together!"

"Yeah, sure, whatever," Buttercup would only believe it when it happened.

"We just have to be sure to come to a unanimous decision before November."

"Why Novem- Oh shit, yeah, that stupid museum opening-"

"Not stupid, Buttercup," Blossom wagged her finger. "The city of Townsville is projected to receive over a million dollars in aid from the museum's profits." Blossom was referring to an on-going city-funded project in Townsville called "The Discovery Dome." It was to be a children's science museum, with a special exhibit on the Powerpuff Girls and their creation. "Maybe those funds will help with the increase of homelessness rates in the city. Did you know at the food bank, we package over one-hundred thousand boxes of-"

"Still not going to the food bank with you guys, Red," Buttercup interrupted, knowing exactly where the conversation was headed. Blossom's passive aggressive manipulation tactics were nothing new to her.

Blossom sighed. "OK, fine." She bit her lip, trying to keep herself from saying more, but the passion for the project was too much, "You know, as the Powerpuff Girls, we still hold a responsibility to help our community. It's important that we continue to protect the citizens in any way we can. That's why volunteering at the city's food bank is a great way to show the community that we are still here, and that us Powerpuffs are always ready to help, even in the smallest ways."

"That's great," Buttercup smiled sarcastically. "Thanks for representin'."

Blossom opened her mouth to say something, but stopped. She took a deep, slow breath, before she forced herself to smile, and say simply: "I'm gonna go."

Buttercup reclined against the pillow on her bed, and watched her sister leave her bedroom without another word. She waited until she heard her sister far enough down the hall to know that she wasn't returning. Buttercup stood from her bed and went to her laundry basket. She fished out the pair of jeans she had been wearing the day before and retrieved the business card Ace had given her.

The green-eyed teen returned to her laptop, and searched in the internet browser: "GGC."

"Green Garden Collective," Buttercup read the results out loud to herself. "A weed shop," Buttercup laughed a little. "I shoulda known." She followed the webpage's results to a website which advertised the punk show taking place that night in the marijuana dispensary. "Nine 'o clock," Buttercup thought, "Shouldn't be too hard to sneak out then."

She stood from her bed and made her way to her closet doors. She took just a few minutes to decide which band she wanted to represent for the day. Her mind debated for a while: "It definitely has to be something good if I'm goin' to my first punk show tonight. The Clash is the usual go-to, but Ace saw me in a Clash shirt yesterday... Yeah, something else then. Green Day? - Seems appropriate for a weed shop, but might be too mainstream. Patti Smith? - Yeah she's cool, but, maybe too sensitive? The Ramones? - Man, too many posers have this shirt now. Don't wanna look like one of them..."

Buttercup ultimately pulled out a baby-blue colored t-shirt with thick red writing across the chest: "ADOLESCENTS." She paired it with a pair of black skinny jeans, and tossed the outfit on her bed with a pair of dirty, worn, black converse sneakers. She admired her selection with a proud smile, "Perfect."

* * *

Professor Utonium climbed the steps from his basement laboratory. Those steps led into the Utonium household's kitchen. Normally, the tall open windows of their home's kitchen supplied all the light needed for the space, but like usual, he had lost track of time while working in his lab and the sun had set already. He stumbled in the dark to find the light switch, and turned it on. He paused for a moment, hearing the muffled sounds of loud music coming from upstairs, and knew that it was coming from Buttercup's room. She must have stayed home again while her sisters once again chose to occupy their summer outdoors. His cell phone buzzed briefly in his white lab coat's pocket.

Professor read the text message from Ms. Keane: "Sorry I'm running late! The traffic is terrible!"

He replied quickly with a message "That's OK," and returned the device to his coat pocket.

The Professor went to his silver coffee pot, removed it from its warmer, and refilled his coffee mug. This was his third cup. He had managed to sleep for about four or five hours earlier in the day, but was still relying on caffeine to get through the rest of the day. As he added his creamer and sugar to his coffee, he could hear the sounds of his daughters Bubbles and Blossom returning home.

He walked into the living room to greet them as they entered the house. "Hey, Girls. How does pizza sound for dinner tonight?" he asked as he took a sip from his coffee mug.

Blossom and Bubbles looked at one another and nodded in agreement. "Yeah, that sounds fine," Blossom said.

"You read my mind, Professor!" Bubbles smiled as she pulled her cell phone from her overalls pocket. "I'll order!"

"Well, be sure to order one extra," the Professor added. "I invited Ms. Keane over for dinner tonight."

"OK, sounds good! I'm gonna go ask Buttercup if she wants to split some cinnasticks with me!" Bubbles disappeared upstairs with a flash of blue light.

Blossom was walking casually halfway down the hall when she heard Professor mention their dinner guest. She stopped and turned to the Professor, "Really? What's the occasion?"

"Well, with just a few weeks left until the new school year, I thought Ms. Keane could come over and talk to you girls about your academic options."

"Oh that," Blossom remembered. "Yeah, I guess we would have to figure that out sooner than later, huh?" she smiled.

Bubbles zipped inside Buttercup's room, where she found her sitting cross-legged on the floor of her bedroom with a video game controller in hand. "Haven't you heard of knocking?" Buttercup muttered without taking her eyes off her monitor's screen.

Bubbles ignored her sister's sour mood, knowing that was just how Buttercup was. "Sorry. I heard your music on so I figured you were up." She plopped down beside her sister on the floor. "We're ordering pizza tonight for dinner. You want to go halfies with me on some cinnasticks?"

"Sure." Buttercup's game displayed a large "GAME OVER" on the screen. She tossed her game controller aside and pouted a little. She then felt sudden weight on her shoulder as her shorter sister leaned against her. While Buttercup was the type to have a strict personal bubble, Bubbles was the opposite. It was common practice for the blue Puff to hug, cling to, and sometimes smother both her sisters. Buttercup only tolerated Bubbles because she was her little sister. Anyone else who dared lean up on her like a piece of furniture would have had to answer to her fist.

Bubbles reclined against Buttercup's shoulder as she dialed the number for their local pizza shop. "Hi! Can I get three large pizzas? One veggie. One pepperoni. And one- Um, hold on, please," she paused and turned to her sister. "Ms. Keane's coming. What kind of pizza do you think she likes?"

Buttercup shrugged. "Just get another pepperoni. Who cares?"

"OK, hi again! Sorry, two pepperoni pizzas, please!" Bubbles said into the phone, reclining once more against Buttercup, "And one order of cinnasticks! And that's it!"

"What's Ms. Keane comin' over for?" Buttercup questioned as her sister finished her phone call.

"Does she need a reason?" Bubbles shrugged, "She's basically family."

Buttercup rolled her eyes, "Ms. Keane usually visits for dinner when Professor has something to say that he can't say himself. Last time it was that gross 'we're becoming women' talk."

Bubbles laughed. "That was awkward." She picked up the game controller that Buttercup had tossed to the side, and started to navigate through her game system. She found her and Buttercup's favorite racing game, "Wanna play?" she challenged her sister with a devious smile.

Buttercup smirked and picked up her second controller, "You're on."

* * *

It was about eight at night when Ms. Keane arrived to the Utonium household. She knocked on the front door, and was greeted by the Professor. "Sorry, sorry," she apologized again as she entered the home with the Professor. "I went to go see my mother in Coast County. I thought if I left by six, it would give me plenty of time to get here."

The Professor chuckled a little, "Rush hour starts around four nowadays. Even on Sundays. Really, it's no problem."

The two entered the dining room where Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup all sat, waiting.

"Finally," Buttercup groaned. "Can we eat now?"

"Yes, let's dig in," the Professor smiled as he sat at the table.

All three teenagers immediately tore into the cardboard delivery boxes that sat at the center of the table, loading their plates with pizza slices.

"Sorry to make you wait, Girls," Ms. Keane apologized again as she took a slice of pepperoni pizza for herself.

"The pizza only just arrived fifteen minutes ago," Blossom said as she sat back down with her plate of veggie pizza. "Buttercup's just a little hangry." She smiled at her green eyed sister who already was consuming the last portion of her first slice of pepperoni pizza.

Buttercup spoke with her mouth full, "Excuse me? You were the one practically having an anxiety attack, thinking she was in some car wreck or somethin.'"

"I just know that it's unlike Ms. Keane to run late," Blossom said. "So I'm just relieved that she's here now, and safe."

Bubbles sat between her bickering siblings. Always the buffer between them, she spoke up to change the subject, "Thank you again, Ms. Keane, for my new paint brushes. They're so beautiful! I almost don't want to ruin them with paint!"

"You're welcome, Bubbles," Ms Keane smiled kindly.

"They'll be perfect for my art class next semester," Bubbles continued before she took a bite of her veggie pizza.

"Speaking of school," Blossom chimed in, eager to get to the news Ms. Keane was there to share, "Ms. Keane? The Professor said you had something to talk to us about."

Buttercup elbowed Bubbles in her arm, "Told ya."

Ms. Keane smiled at Blossom, and then looked to both Bubbles and Buttercup. "Yes, actually. Girls, I've gone over your school records, and your performances are outstanding. In fact, you should be proud to know that all three of your seventh grade standardized test scores were the highest in the district."

"Really?" Blossom couldn't help but wear a proud smile.

Ms. Keane nodded enthusiastically. "Blossom you were actually number one in both mathematics and science," she watched as Blossom lit up with joy. She then turned to Buttercup. "And Buttercup, you were number one in reading!" she beamed.

"She was?" Blossom blinked.

Buttercup glared in Blossom's direction, "Jeez, don't act so shocked. That test was too easy."

"Too easy," Professor Utonium repeated her words exactly, "Which is precisely why Ms. Keane suggested we should enroll you girls in high school next year, at the minimum."

"High school?" Bubbles tilted her head. "So you're saying we would go to Townsville High, and not Intermediate next month?"

"If it means we can get through school faster, I'm in," Buttercup reclined in her chair, finished with her food. Her eyes fell on the clock that hung on the wall: 8:32 PM. She was beginning to feel anxious, and wondered if she'd still be able to make the show that night.

"What do you mean by 'at minimum,' Professor?" Blossom questioned.

"Well," the Professor began, "I know it seems like a big leap, but when I shared your previous IQ score with Ms. Keane she insisted that I test all three of you girls again. And, well, frankly if you're too smart for high school, then we may have to consider-"

Blossom interrupted with a loud, excited gasp, " _COLLEGE?!_ " she exclaimed, physically jumping from her chair.

The Professor chuckled in response, "Well, yes."

Blossom began to shake with anticipation and excitement, "Oh my goodness, Professor, you have no idea how great that would be!" she gasped, "I could earn my masters degree by 18!"

Ms. Keane also laughed, amused by the nerdy teenager's enthusiasm. "Well, I brought the tests with me for you girls to take. After dinner, we should get started-"

"How long is this test gonna take?" Buttercup interrupted with a frown.

"Oh, not long at all. Maybe twenty minutes or so-"

"Well, I'm done eating, so can I get mine over with now?" Buttercup sat up in her chair, and pushed her plate away from herself.

Ms. Keane smiled, "Well, if you would like to, of course." She reached into her book bag which she had hung from her dining chair. She retrieved a sheet of paper, and a number two pencil and handed them both to Buttercup.

The dark-haired teen sat down with the paper and pencil. She groaned a little and muttered something about test taking in summer, and got to work.

"Ms. Keane, can I take mine now, too?" Blossom asked with an eager smile. She took her test and a pencil from Ms. Keane and immediately began her own work.

Bubbles glanced from one sister to another and watched them quickly work through the questions. "Jeez, guys, it's not a race."

"Yeah, well, I'm tired and I wanna go to bed," Buttercup muttered as she paused on a question. She glanced over to Blossom, who, in turn, covered her answers with her hand. Buttercup rolled her eyes and filled in her own answer.

Bubbles finished her last bite of pizza. "I guess I'll take mine, too," she said with a shrug.

Professor Utonium began to clear the table as all three girls took their tests in the dining room. Ms. Keane stayed behind, and observed Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup work through their tests. She watched in awe as Blossom neared the final question at just fifteen minutes of testing. Buttercup was also, not far behind.

"Done!" Blossom slammed her pencil down and wore a proud grin.

"Again," Bubbles said with a laugh, "It wasn't a race, Sis," she teased.

No amount of teasing from either of her sisters could wipe the fixed smile from Blossom's face. She handed Ms. Keane her test sheet.

"Thank you, Blossom," Ms. Keane took the sheet of paper, and set it aside. She opened her book bag again and pulled out her laptop, and began to input Blossom's answers.

"How long will it take to know my score?" Blossom asked eagerly.

"Just a few minutes," Ms. Keane answered.

"I'm done," Buttercup announced as she stood from her seat. "Now, I'm going to bed," she said with an exaggerated yawn. "Good night."

"Don't you want to know how you did?" Blossom watched her sister as she floated upstairs.

"Tell me in the morning," she answered as she got to her bedroom door. "'Night!" she called out to everyone before she disappeared into her room.

As soon as Buttercup closed her bedroom door behind her, she wasted no time. With a flash of green light, she zipped to her closet to retrieve a black hooded sweatshirt. The skinny teen slipped it on over her blue Adolescents t-shirt. She raised the hood of her sweatshirt, and quickly pulled it over her head. She then shut off the light in her bedroom, and her dark attire became instantly blended with the night. The large circular window to Buttercup's room sat above her bed. She stood on her bed and opened the window's pane, and quietly slipped out, a fast-moving shadow in the night.

Not wanting to leave a trail of green light behind her for anyone to see, the super-powered teenager moved only at a moderate speed. As she flew, she hovered low and within close proximity to the rooftops of her residential neighborhood. Her shadowed figure went unnoticed, as she left the quiet suburbia behind her, and entered Downtown Townsville. It was just a twelve mile stretch between the Utonium household and the borders of Downtown, and even with her carefully measured speed, she easily arrived in less than ten-seconds time.

The heart of Townsville was made up by a crowded cityscape of mile-high skyscrapers, hundreds of brightly lit high-rise buildings, rows of colorful billboards, and blocks of industrial construction sites. It was the part of Townsville which never slept. The always busy, one-way streets of Downtown held a consistent line of cars at all hours of the day. At night the headlights of the steady parade of moving vehicles illuminated the streets like blazing strings of Christmas lights.

There was no way to go unnoticed as a flying teenager under the ever-beaming glow of Downtown, so as soon as Buttercup reached the lights of the city, she touched down onto the pavement. She still had to get through the density of Downtown to the other side though, so she didn't stop. As soon as her feet hit the ground, she continued to jog at a steady pace. It was a downhill path to get to the Townsville River Bridge which connected Downtown to the east side. For Buttercup, her pace was hardly a casual jog, but to passerby's, the teenager ran with the speed of an Olympic athlete.

As Buttercup ran, she felt her heart begin to race. At first, it was a strange feeling when she began to feel her adrenaline steadily climb. Running was an activity that didn't normally get her heart pumping like that, but as her green eyes focused on the bridge into East Downtown, it seemed as if her heart beat even faster.

She stopped at the bridge, and on the other side was her destination- the east side. She checked her cell phone for the time and saw that it was just six minutes past nine. Not bad timing at all, considering the circumstances. The skinny teenager returned her cell phone to her back pants pocket. She began to feel warm as she stood on the tall bridge above the river, so she pulled off her hoodie and tied the sweater around her waist. Before she could begin her jog again, she felt a fast, brushing sensation to her left, as a bicyclist rode past her. "Watch it, Kid!" the stranger shouted as he zipped down the steep arch of the city bridge.

Buttercup had a fleeting moment of panic, but it passed just as fast as the cyclist went. She watched the man on the bike speed down the bridge without taking a second glance at her. Another surge of adrenaline hit her then. She stood there for a moment touching her hand to her chest, and catching her breath. Why was she so out of breath anyway? Feeling somewhat winded, she opted for walking across the bridge to give herself a momentary break. She only had a a mile left to go. As she walked, she avoided eye contact with the citizens who also commuted along the bridge. She felt paranoid of being identified, but it wasn't long before the fear faded. Buttercup realized soon enough that nobody seemed to notice her at all.

Buttercup spotted a tall billboard to the right of the bridge which displayed an advertisement for the November grand opening of the Discovery Dome. Plastered across the giant advertisement was an image of herself and her two sisters. Of course, the photo was of them dressed in their traditional Powerpuff Girl attire. Buttercup thought back to that awful photo-shoot. Not only did she have to submit to being photographed in a dress for the entire world to see, but she was also forced to wear makeup, and have her wild raven hair tamed by hairspray. It was a nightmare of a day for the tomboy, and she had originally refused to look at the resulting photos from that shoot.

Buttercup stopped, and took a moment to really look at the billboard for the first time then. Bubbles was on the left of the billboard, smiling with a playful, girlish wink. Blossom stood in the center, and forefront, showing off her perfect, white smile. Buttercup's eyes reluctantly traveled to the right side of the billboard where her own image was.

As she stared at the green-eyed superhero painted on the billboard, she realized then why nobody recognized her. It didn't look anything like her. She knew the makeup and hair was one thing, but after the magic of filtered editing, the green Powerpuff on the billboard looked drastically different than her real self. She was naturally a very pale girl, but on the billboard she appeared to be at an even tan with her sisters. She remembered that day the photographer fussed about her not giving a big enough smile. Somehow, they managed to fake one anyway. In reality she possessed a slight under-bite to her smile, but on the billboard her teeth were as straight as her sisters' beside her. The billboard Buttercup's eyes looked huge, with enhanced long eyelashes, and her bright pupils shone an unnatural lime green, unlike the actual forest green they truly were. Like most young teens her age, her skin was hardly perfect. She was bound to have a few blemishes and pimples on any given day. However, the billboard version's skin was perfect. Her smile, perfect. Everything... perfect. It was like looking at a Barbie-doll interpretation of herself. The teen turned away from the image and shuttered as she continued her journey. The advertisement was worse than she could have ever imagined.

Even with her own twisted image brightly displayed in the sky behind her, the citizens of Townsville unknowingly traveled past Buttercup. At one point, she noticed a small child walk past, holding onto her father with one hand, and a soft plush-toy version of the green Powerpuff in her other hand. Curious if this obvious tiny fan would recognize her, Buttercup waved at the little girl, as she and her father passed. She only received a suspicious look from the dad as he pulled his daughter along to walk faster.

This caused Buttercup to grin, and her heart raced again once more. It dawned on her then, what she had been feeling. That sensation that caused her heart to pump- it was the thrill of adventure. She had grown so used to boredom, she had forgotten what the sensation was like. Still bearing a big grin, she gave into the growing excitement swelling within her, and began to run once more.

As she sped across the pavement of the bridge, and descended into East Downtown, her heart pumped, and her mind simultaneously raced with the endless possibilities of the night. Her family and Ms. Keane were all back home right then, and none of them knew what she was up to that night. If the Professor knew she was about to see a concert at a marijuana dispensary, he would lose his mind. If Blossom knew?- she, too, would flip her shit. Would she get caught? Would she get away with it? Did they already notice her missing? Even if they did, they wouldn't have the slightest clue as to where she was headed. She had done it. She had snuck out on her own, and she was about to experience her first rock show.

The teenager now began to bounce and skip as she sprinted across town, unable to control her wild excitement for the night she was about to have. She hadn't experienced a surge of energy like that since her crime-fighting days. Facing off in battle, not knowing what the outcome may be, and diving into the fight anyways. That was the thrill she had been missing, and as it returned to her in that moment, she felt absolutely victorious. A coyote-like howl echoed throughout the city as she loudly and unapologetically celebrated her ongoing conquest.

* * *

"One-sixty-one!" Blossom shouted as she read her results on the screen. She pumped her fist in the air in celebration, rising from the ground a little, as she continued to shout with excitement. "I got a _one-sixty-one!_ One-hundred and sixty-one! Professor! Do you see it?!"

Professor Utonium blinked at the high IQ results on Ms. Keane's laptop screen. "I see it," he said, still in a little bit of shock as to how rapidly Blossom's genius had grown. He watched his thirteen-year-old child continue to bounce around the dining room with pure joy.

"This means I get to go to college, right, Professor?!" her pink eyes were wide with anticipation.

Professor Utonium smiled at Blossom, "Well, I suppose it would be hard for me to stop you at this point," he scratched his head.

"Don't act so surprised, Professor," Ms. Keane smiled as she began to enter Bubbles' results for her. "You already knew she was gifted."

"Yes, I'm not surprised," Professor smiled nervously, "But still..." he turned to Blossom again, "Let's not get too ahead of ourselves, Sweetie."

Blossom's excitement was suddenly undercut by the Professor's serious tone of voice. "What do you mean, Professor?" she questioned.

"Well, college admissions take time, and I believe the deadline for Fall is way past-"

"Yeah, but can't they make an exception?!"

"Blossom, what's the rush?" the Professor asked. "There are a lot of things to consider here. If you skip high school altogether, then that means you're skipping out on, well, your whole high school experience! What about football games, school clubs, assemblies, or prom?"

"The Professor has a point," Ms. Keane added. "I want you to achieve your full potential Blossom, trust me. I completely agree that college is the right place for a mind as gifted as yours. But enrolling in high school for at least a year while you figure out your college path is not a bad idea. You won't have to rush deciding a major or which school you want to attend. It will also give you some time to enjoy your peers just a little while longer, and you can even enroll in Advance Placement courses at Townsville High in the mean time which would earn you some college credit."

Blossom quietly sat down at the dining table, feeling slightly defeated. "Well... I guess that would be OK," she muttered, sounding less than thrilled.

"Oh, Bubbles!" Ms. Keane clapped with a smile as she totaled the blue Puff's results, "You scored a one-hundred! That's very good, Sweetie."

"Does that mean I would have to go to college in a year, too?" Bubbles questioned.

Professor smiled at his baby-blue eyed daughter, "No, Sweetie. It means you'll do just fine in high school. Is that OK?"

Bubbles gave a small sigh of relief, "Yeah," she smiled. "I don't mind skipping a grade, but I really don't want to go to college yet," Bubbles confessed. "Isn't there like, ten times as much homework in college?"

Professor Utonium and Ms. Keane couldn't help but chuckle in response. Blossom still sat at the table, wearing a small frown. Somehow she felt cheated. When she saw her score, she had immediately convinced herself that she would be sitting in a grand lecture-hall a month from then. Now she had to re-imagine herself as sitting behind a simple grade-school desk, reviewing subjects she had already mastered on her free-time. She supposed it would be nice to participate in high school activities like school games and clubs, but didn't they have that on college campuses, too? As she reluctantly accepted the idea of having to wait another year to start college, her thoughts were interrupted by the sounds of Ms. Keane and Professor gasping loudly in unison.

Blossom looked up and saw both the Professor and Ms. Keane stare at her computer screen with shock. "Is that right?" Professor Utonium questioned with his jaw agape.

" _One-sixty_!" Ms. Keane breathed out loud with a surprised smile.

Blossom stood from her seat and met them on the other side of the dining table. She looked at the laptop monitor and read Buttercup's results for herself: _160_.

"Well, that settles it!" Ms. Keane continued to beam, "This is incredible! Buttercup and Blossom can start researching colleges together! You two are going to accomplish great things!"

Blossom continued to stare at her sister's IQ score, just one point shy of her own, in complete disbelief. Going to college with Buttercup? Buttercup never gave a second thought to her education, and yet she would get the same opportunity as she? It sounded completely unfair. She gave Ms. Keane a small, forced smile, "Yeah. Sounds great."

Bubbles also came around the table to read the score. For Bubbles, knowing that her two sisters had surpassed her so easily was a strange feeling. Sure, she knew both her siblings to be extremely smart in their own ways. She wasn't offended by their higher scores, at all. However, it still stung knowing she would be seemingly left behind in a year's time. After all, it had always been the three of them. Not knowing what life would be like without them by her side every day was an intimidating thought. "Wow," she said with a weak smile of her own, "Congrats, Blossom."

"Isn't this wonderful, Professor?" Ms. Keane continued to radiate with positivity, "Something told me Buttercup wasn't being challenged, and there it is."

Professor Utonium was quiet as he allowed this new, astonishing fact to settle in his mind. He had always assumed Buttercup and Bubbles were the ones on equal footing. After all, the two of them always seemed to get on just a little better than Blossom and Buttercup ever managed to. It was definitely a surprise that this whole time, Buttercup was at the same level as Blossom. Sure, Buttercup had done well enough in school when it came to her testing, but she wasn't exactly the best of students. Professor Utonium had many a parent-teacher conference with Buttercup's teachers throughout the years. Truthfully more than he could count. The complaints were always the same- she failed to complete assignments, refused to pay attention during her lessons, fell asleep often in class, and regularly skipped homework assignments altogether.

"We should tell her the exciting news!" Ms. Keane continued. "I know she said she was going to bed, but this is something she would want to hear about, right?"

Professor Utonium watched for a moment as Ms. Keane began to walk towards the stairs which led to Buttercup's bedroom. He quickly followed after her, "Ms. Keane," he began as he walked beside her, ascending the staircase together, "I must confess... I don't know if Buttercup is ready for college."

Ms. Keane stopped in her tracks and faced Professor Utonium. "Professor, you can't allow just one of your genius children to advance and not the other," she pointed out sternly.

"Yes, but, Buttercup is not like Blossom," he said with a lowered voice, trying to shield the conversation from his daughters. "I don't know if she's emotionally ready for college, yet. Blossom has always behaved like a young adult, even very early on in life. I mean, that's why I appointed her to be leader of their superhero team. Blossom is more than ready for the pressures of college, I'm sure, but Buttercup... Well, she's still very much at the mercy of her childish habits to be frank."

"Professor, you have been wondering what is wrong with Buttercup lately, and don't you see that this is it?" the short, blue eyed woman continued to debate with the Professor. "You can't possibly want to hold her back!"

Professor sighed heavily. "Ms. Keane, I know your concerns, but you don't know Buttercup as well as I do." He paused before continuing, "There was an incident the night before, after you left."

Ms. Keane crossed her arms, but remained open, "What happened?" she questioned.

"Honestly, I'm still trying to figure it out, exactly. But her powers malfunctioned somehow- it completely drained her of all her energy. Truthfully, the whole thing scared me so bad I even spent the night in the lab, using some of the last reserves of Chemical X to create an emergency dose of Antidote X, just in case-"

"Antidote X?!" Ms. Keane's blue eyes grew wide with concern.

"Nothing full strength," the Professor added quickly. "Just enough to calm her powers temporarily if it were to happen again." He sighed deeply once more, "Ms. Keane, I need her to stay here at home where I can keep a careful eye on her."

Ms. Keane was quiet for a moment. She could see that the Professor wore a grave expression on his face, and it was enough to raise her own concerns. "You are her father, so of course you know what's best for her," she began, "But I really feel like this would be something _good_ for Buttercup," she still insisted. "Let's just talk to her, and see how she feels. You don't have to make promises of college. We can just discuss her options with her, and take it one step at a time, hm?" she gave Professor Utonium an encouraging smile.

Professor Utonium slowly nodded. "OK," he quietly agreed. "Yes, let's talk to her then."

The two reached the door to Buttercup's bedroom. Professor Utonium knocked on the door, but got no answer. Ms. Keane then tried, but also received no answer. Professor Utonium slowly turned the door handle, opened the door, and switched on the light, revealing an empty room. The two stepped inside, looked around, and came to the same realization together. Their eyes fell on the open window to Buttercup's bedroom, and they knew that she had gone.

* * *

The Green Garden Collective was located on the corner of Esperanza Street. The business was sandwiched between a liquor store, and a coffee shop. Its windows were tinted black, and there was no way to tell just what sort of business it was. Like most dispensaries in the city, it tried to blend in with its surroundings. There were no flashy advertisements, and the only signage was a piece of paper taped to the front door which read: "USE BACK DOOR." The front door itself was blocked by metal bars, and secured wit a heavy padlock chained around the doorknob.

Buttercup walked through the narrow alleyway that lead to the back entrance of the GGC. The brick walls of the alley way held a brightly painted mural of a green-skinned woman holding a bouquet of roses. She had red tear drops that fell from her brown eyes and stained the white colored roses. There was a small collection of candles at the base of the mural, which provided the only light in the dark alley. As Buttercup rounded the corner, her heart's tempo began to sync with the low, steady sound of a booming bass she could hear coming from inside the building. She took a deep breath as she reached for the door handle, and stepped inside.

Once inside, it was a narrow hallway which led to another doorway. It was dimly lit inside. A neon green light that hung over the second entrance illuminated the hallway. The entrance was guarded by a skinny, middle-aged woman with a clipboard. Her hair was a platinum blonde, but the neon light above her made it shine a bright green. "New or returning?" she asked as she watched Buttercup walk towards her.

Buttercup blinked back at the woman with a confused look.

" _New_ ," she answered for her as she circled something on the clipboard, "Well, if you're over 21," she paused to look the obvious young teen up and down, "Then I need some ID," she sighed. "If not, I need to see a doctor's rec."

"Oh," Buttercup shifted nervously, "You mean for weed. No, I'm just here for the show-"

"Look, Kid. The cops are begging for reasons to shut down shops like this. If you're not bright enough to figure out how to get a fake ID at least, then I can't help you. No ID, no rec? No exceptions."

"Really," Buttercup shook her head. "I just came for the show. Ace invited me yesterday at the fair, and he said that-"

" _Ohhhhh_ ," the woman interupted her. "You're Buttercup!" She looked over Buttercup once more and shook her head as she laughed, "My bad. Yeah, Ace said you might drop by. Didn't know it was you though. We get a lot of teens trying to sneak in here and cause trouble. Hey, has anyone ever told you that you look _wayyyy_ different on TV?" she asked as she tucked her clipboard under her arm and reached for the door handle behind her.

Buttercup stood back as the woman opened the door for her. As soon as the heavy metal door cracked open, the sound of the ongoing concert became defeaning. Buttercup's eyes fell on a small room, packed with at least a hundred people inside.

Buttercup saw the woman at the door's lips move, but she couldn't hear what she was saying over the music that played. She moved closer, and the woman placed a green smiley face sticker on Buttercup's left hand. " _IT'S FREE DAB NIGHT ON CONCERT NIGHTS_!" she screamed over the blazing guitar solo that rang loudly from the other room. " _JUST SHOW JANET YOUR STICKER!_ "

" _THANKS_ ," Buttercup shouted over the music as she moved inside the room. The door closed behind her, and she stood there in wonder, as she surveyed her foreign surroundings.

The concert goers moved in sync with the rhythms of the loud, blaring music, and bounced off one-another as they danced. It seemed like the calmer dancers crowded beside a long counter that sat at the opposite end of the room. The more aggressive dancers formed a mosh pit in the center of the room. They crowded around a makeshift stage of stacked wooden pellets where the three-piece band performed. A shirtless skinny man stood on top of one of the large speakers that surrounded the stage and leapt from it onto the crowd of people below. The people caught the flying man, and carried him across the room. Behind the stage, hung several neon strobe lights which flashed in time with the music. The bright multi-colored stage lights shone over the heads of the concert goers, and illuminated the thick clouds of marijuana smoke that accumulated in the tiny room.

Buttercup stayed away from the crowd as she watched the show for a while. She leaned up against the wall, opposite the concert stage. The wall vibrated from the power of the giant speakers, and Buttercup felt her heart pound again with the music. Ace was on stage with his band. He was playing a black bass, and stood on the left side of the stage. He wasn't nearly as animated as his band-mates, and bobbed his head in a more mellow fashion. Calm and cool was always Ace's style, even as he played a fast paced rhythm on his bass. His fingers moved like crazy to keep up with the wild guitarist to his right. The band's singer and guitarist looked like a young guy, probably not much older than a teenager himself. The boy's head shook violently in time with the music that ripped from his guitar, and the sweat that dripped from his dark brown hair splashed onto the audience before him. The drummer was a girl, who had half her head shaved, and the other half dyed a bright, blood orange with black vertical stripes. She banged so hard on her drum set, as the band finished their current track, her drumstick split. She chucked it into the audience and pulled a new stick from behind her, not missing a single beat. A man caught the drumstick, and the crowd erupted in loud cheering.

The guitarist let his last distorted note ring out as the audience continued to rally around the band. " _Alright, listen up!_ " The guitarist gripped the microphone at the center of the stage. "Next song we're playing is for our man, Ace," he motioned towards Ace on his left, and the crowd cheered some more. " _Let's lynch the landlord!_ " the singer screamed into the microphone as the drummer struck her sticks together, and counted: _1-2-3-4!_

The noise was full blast yet again, and the people began to dance once more. Buttercup still reclined against the wall as they began their next track. As they played the first few chords, her eyes grew wide with excitement as she realized she knew the song.

_"The Landlord's here to visit!_  
_They're blasting disco down below!_  
_Says, 'I'm doubling the rent!_  
_'Cause the building's condemned!_  
_You're gonna help me buy City Hall!'_  
_But we can!_  
_You know we can!_  
_But we can, you know we can!_  
_Let's lynch the landlord man!"_

Buttercup's grin was wide as she watched the lively crowd lose themselves to the music. She began to bob her head to the music, but still stayed to herself. That was until she felt a slap on the wall's surface above her head. A tall woman stood beside her. Her eyeglasses were fogged with sweat, " _HEY_!" She shouted at Buttercup, " _NO WALLFLOWERS IN THE GARDEN!_ " She slapped the wall above Buttercup's head again, causing Buttercup to look up at the painted lettering in bold red above her: "NO WALLFLOWERS IN THE GARDEN."

Buttercup looked to the girl again who grinned big at her, rocking her head to the music, " _COME ON! IT'S A PUNK SHOW, MAN!_ " she shouted as she disappeared straight into the mosh pit that had formed in the center of the room again.

That was more than enough to peel the teen from the safety of the wall. She fearlessly dove into the crowd, mixing herself among the sea of sweaty, pot-stenched bodies. The teen ricocheted off one body to the next, allowing herself to get pummeled by the wild dancers on the floor. The contact was hardly a match for her natural strength. Still, as she bounced off the strangers, her adrenaline rose higher. She banged her head to the beat and bounced wildly up and down, still knocking into the people all around her. She began to scream and chant along with the crowd around her as they all sang along:

_"Let's lynch the landlord!_  
_Let's lynch the landlord!_  
_Let's lynch the landlord man!"_

* * *

Bubbles gripped her pencil gently as she focused on her latest sketch. She sat on her bed, with her sketch pad, and tried her best to pretend that Blossom's pacing back in forth in her bedroom was not distracting her. She had truthfully stopped listening to her redheaded sister's rantings an hour ago. She was repeating herself at that point, after all.

"I just can't believe she's _still_ not back!" Blossom ranted, "It's past ten thirty now! She knows our curfew is nine! Where would she even go?! It's not like she has any friends! Oh my God, the Professor is going to lose it when she gets home! And I don't blame him! How could she just say she was going to bed and sneak out like that?! With Ms. Keane here and everything!" Blossom paced back and forth, but suddenly stopped. She turned to Bubbles, "We should go looking for her," she proposed for the third time that night.

Bubbles sighed deeply as she closed her sketch book and set down her pencil. "Professor told us not to, remember?"

"Yes, but that was over an hour ago! I'm gonna ask him-"

Bubbles shot up from her bed, and in a flash of blue light she was at the door to her bedroom, blocking Blossom's path. "Nope!" she shouted. "He's worried, and frustrated, and angry enough already, Blossom," Bubbles frowned. "Besides, if we do find her, you're gonna blow up on her, and then she's gonna blow up, and then-"

"I will not blow up on her!" Blossom crossed her arms, "But I will _calmly_ tell her how her actions-"

" _Blossom_!" Bubbles shouted in a high pitched voice, as she grabbed her sister by the shoulders and shook her, "We can't make her angry, OK?! That is why Professor asked us to stay in our rooms, and let him handle it! Now, can we please just drop it?"

Blossom stayed quiet, but she tapped her foot impatiently as her eyes fell on the alarm clock on Bubbles' nightstand: _10:40 PM_.

"But where did she go, Bubbles?" Blossom frowned as she watched her short sister return to her bed and resume her sketching.

Bubbles sighed again. "Probably to a movie or something," she shrugged.

"By herself?"

"She does it all the time."

Blossom stared for a moment at Bubbles whose focus was on her drawing again. "She does?"

"Yep," Bubbles said as she reached for her eraser. She rubbed the fat, pink, rubber block against her paper, and gently blew off the bits of eraser from the sheet. "You don't like horror. I definitely don't like horror," Bubbles shuttered a little reminiscing of the time Buttercup tricked her into watching _The Exorcist_ when they were eleven. "So, when a new horror movie comes out, she goes alone."

Blossom floated over to her sister's bed, and sat down beside her. "I didn't know that," she confessed quietly. For a moment, Blossom felt pity for her green-eyed sibling. But as soon as her eyes fell on the clock again, she was reminded of the time, and was back to her original point, "But did she _have_ to go so late?!"

"She says horror movies are meant to be seen in the dark," Bubbles answered as she sketched.

Blossom stared at Bubbles with her mouth agape, "You mean she's snuck out to see a movie past curfew before?"

Bubbles didn't answer. She gave a small shrug, and left it at that.

"Bubbles!"

"What?"

"Why didn't you say anything if you knew Buttercup had a habit of breaking curfew?! You could have at least told the Professor about it!"

Bubbles closed her sketchpad again and looked at Blossom, "I'm not a snitch!" she crossed her arms. "I'm a great secret keeper!" she said proudly, "I keep your secrets, don't I?"

Blossom was quiet. She stood from her sister's bed, and subconsciously started her pacing once more.

Bubbles watched Blossom float from one end of her room to the other. "Look, Blossom, I'm worried, too. Especially after last night. It's OK to be worried, but she'll be home soon, I'm sure."

Blossom stopped and looked at Bubbles. Bubbles scooted on her bed, making more room for her sister and patted the spot beside her. Blossom sighed and returned to the bed. She sat down beside her sister, and hugged her knees against herself. Bubbles wrapped her arms around her as she pulled her big sister close. Blossom closed her eyes and focused on the feeling of her sister's embrace, breathing deeply, trying her best to calm her rising anxiety.

"It's not that," Blossom confessed with her eyes still closed.

"Then what is it?"

Blossom buried her face in her hands, and muttered something that Bubbles couldn't understand.

"What?" Bubbles asked.

Blossom sighed big, and threw up her hands in defeat: "I don't want to have to go to college with Buttercup! _There_ , I said it!"

Bubbles blinked back at Blossom for a moment. "Why not?"

"Because of stuff exactly like this! Can you imagine the responsibility I'm going to have to assume if we go to school together? I mean, whose going to have to make sure she's going to class? Me! Whose going to have to keep her out of trouble? Me! Whose going to have to-"

"Blossom," Bubbles interrupted softly, "You're her sister, not her mother."

"I didn't say that I was!"

"Yeah, well, you kinda sound like it," Bubbles smiled weakly. "No offense."

Blossom frowned. "You know, I just want her to do better. Is that such a bad thing?"

Bubbles shook her head, "No, it's not bad. Buttercup's always getting in trouble, I know, but nobody said you have to feel responsible for her actions. If you guys go to school together, Buttercup will do her thing, and you just focus on you."

Blossom gave Bubbles a small smile. She wrapped her arms around her sister and hugged her tightly. "Love you, Sis."

"Love you, too."

* * *

"OK, OK!" the band's singer shouted into the microphone as he moved across the stage. "Night's almost through and I know you crazy mother fuckers are getting tired out there!" he pointed at the crowd before him. "It's time to slow this shit down a little!" He returned his mic to its stand and raised his guitar once more.

The audience erupted in mix of cheers and boos.

"Hey, not _that_ slow, alright?! I said a _little_! You all know us!" He shouted at the audience, flipping the bird. The audience roared with approval. "So... let's _GET READYYYY!_ "

The mosh pit that Buttercup had spent the entirety of the night in began to break apart. Buttercup remained where she was at the foot of the stage, as she watched Ace begin to slap a steady, funky bass line. The drums and guitar soon followed, and they began to play a reggae sounding tune. Buttercup watched as the concert goers began to sway and rock to the steady rhythm. She noticed most of the people passed around hand-rolled paper joints, including the singer on the stage.

The singer took a deep drag from his marijuana cigarette, and blew an impressively large cloud of smoke into the air. He passed the joint to Ace, who took an equally big hit, before passing the joint off to an audience member that sat at the foot of the stage, as if they had been there waiting for it.

As Buttercup listened to the band play while the clouds of marijuana smoke continued to build around her, she realized her head was starting to spin. She had noticed it earlier, but she thought it was because of the motion of the mosh pit. But as she stood still, she swore she could feel the Earth rotating. Her eyes drifted upward to the smoke that danced through the bright stage lights above her. She watched in awe of the slow-drifting smoke, illuminated by a rainbow of colors, as the singer began to sing once more:

_"Some folks say that smoking herb is a crime,_  
_If they catch you smokin' they're bound to drop the dime,_  
_Insufferable informa crazy fools,_  
_Wait with their fingers crossed for you to break the rules,_  
_And in the evening, we try to jam,_  
_We like the music loud in this here band!_  
_We let the bass line drop as loud as we can stand!_  
_Somebody always gotta turn informa for the man!"_

The singer jabbed his finger in Buttercup's direction, as he continued:

_"I wanna know know right now! Is there one of you in the crowd?_  
_Are you gonna call 911?_  
_And spoil all of my fun?!"_

Buttercup felt a tap on her shoulder. She looked and saw a man to her left holding a joint for her to take. She took it and placed it to her lips, and sucked. The burning green flower's smoke filled her lungs, and the hazy feeling she had began to notice, pulled her in deeper. It was smoother than she anticipated, and it tasted like citrus which also surprised her. She passed the burning cigarette off to the next person on her right as she exhaled a thick cloud of smoke. She watched her own puff of haze mingle with the rest of the clouds that swirled in the lights. Her eyes then fell back on the singer who seemed to nod at her in approval as he sang once more:

_"You cuh-raaaay-zyyyy fool!"_

As Buttercup swayed to the music, she felt herself start to laugh, although she wasn't sure why. It was probably due to the fact that she was realizing that for the first time in her life, she was high. She also realized that she hadn't noticed until then, and couldn't quite figure out when it exactly happened. She had listened to a lot of music that talked about the effects of cannabis, but she'd never had the opportunity to try it before then. She laughed again, as she thought: " _This is what the big fuss was about?_ " She wasn't sure what it would be like, but she had been warned by adults all her life to "Just say no." They made it sound like a potentially scary experience, but what she felt wasn't. It was soothing, and invigorating all at once. Her senses, already superior to that of a normal human's, somehow felt even sharper. The music that filled her ears had a brand new crispness and realness she could not define. The building euphoria wrapped around her like a security blanket, and nothing could penetrate it. Her body felt loose and natural- all tension completely gone and entirely forgotten. She was completely and utterly in the moment as the music swelled within her, and the new tranquil feeling continued to relax her.

_"I'm in the mood,_  
_Get ready,_  
_I'm in the mood,_  
_Come on now, yeah I'm in the mood,_  
_Are you ready?_  
_I'm in the mood Come on now, yeah Come on..."_

Buttercup danced with the rest of the concert goers. She laughed again to herself, and still didn't know why, but she also did not care. Her feet were still planted on the ground, but in that moment, she felt like she was soaring, free. The music began to ramp up again:

_"Load up the bong, crank up the song!_  
_Let the informa' call 9-1-1!_  
_Load up the bong, crank up the song!_  
_Let the informa call 9-1-1!_  
_And when security police force want to arrive,_  
_Don't try to run, don't try to hide!_  
_Just pull out the nine, pop in the clip, and let one slip..._  
_Into these cuh-raay-zy fools!"_

The crowd began to bounce aggressively once more as the music blared louder and louder. Buttercup danced with them, and was completely surrendered to her euphoria. She laughed, and sang as she danced, as if the people around her had been friends of hers for years. As she bounced up and down in unison with the group around her, she realized that she felt her cellphone buzzing in her back pocket. She pulled the phone out, and saw a newly missed call from the Professor. "Oh shit..." she breathed as she unlocked her phone to find that she had seven missed calls from the Professor.

" _What's up?_!" questioned a stranger Buttercup had just been dancing next to.

"The Professor called me like seven times! He's probably _soooo_ pissed!"

"Man, _fuck_ your teacher! You're not in class right now! The fuck is his problem?!" the man laughed.

Buttercup snorted as she laughed with him, completely amused by the stranger's confusion. Still, she was beginning to feel a little paranoid as she wondered about the repercussions she might have to face when she came home. She was caught, already, so punishment was only a matter of time. She returned her phone to her back pocket and tried to push the negativity from her mind. She was feeling so good, and she didn't want it to end just yet. Her eyes spotted another joint being passed through the crowd. She took it and took another hit. This time, she held the smoke in her lungs until it was forced out by an uncontrollable cough. She focused on the music once more, and swayed to the beat as the song came to an end.

The crowd cheered and clapped, but was soon cut short by the sudden brightness of beaming fluorescent lighting that blinded them all out of nowhere. Everyone winced in unison from the unexpected shock to their senses.

Ace had flipped the light switch on the wall behind the stage. He held a mic in his hands as he announced: " _Alright_ , that's all folks! Eleven PM! You know the drill! _OUT_!"

Some boos and whistles, but ultimately the crowd obeyed. They began to march towards the doorway, and take their leave. Buttercup stood there, watching everyone disappear, one by one. She glanced down at her hand and saw the smiley face sticker she had received on her way in, " _Aw_ , I didn't get my free dab," she said out loud to herself.

Ace stepped from the stage and met Buttercup on the floor. He laughed a little as he lowered his sunglasses and watched the teen stare at her sticker with a disappointed frown. "Don't think you need it, Kid," he said as he approached her. He held his hand out for a high-five and Buttercup took it.

"What exactly is a dab anyway?" Buttercup questioned.

" _Yeahhh_ ," Ace laughed again, "You definitely don't need it." He studied the teenager's face, "Your eyes are glossy and red as hell, Dude." He gave her a pat on the back, "Wait here."

Buttercup stood there and watched as Ace disappeared behind the counter in the room. Now that the room was properly lit, Buttercup could see the counter's display clearly now. The shelves were filled with jars of cannabis, in all different shades of green.

"Man, that show was so good!" Buttercup grinned big as she walked over to the counter.

"Thanks! Hey did you like Green Riot?"

"Dude, it was awesome!" she laughed. "But man, when you played Dead Kennedys I lost it! I was just listening to that album earlier today!"

"Glad you had a good time, Kid!"

Buttercup knelt down a little to observe the jars behind the glass counter a little more closely. "Do you grow this stuff yourself?" she asked Ace who fished through a cabinet on the other side.

Ace retrieved the small blue bottle he had been looking for, "Sure do," he said as he turned around to face her. He pointed to a doorway on his right, "That's the grow room in there," he said.

Buttercup stood straight again. Her eyes fell on another door behind the counter, "What's that room?" she asked as she pointed at it.

"Ah, that was my office. Now, my apartment. Temporarily, speakin' of course."

"Dude, you live in there?"

Ace just smiled as he slid the tiny blue bottle of Visine eye drops across the counter. "Here. This will help you not look so obviously stoned when you get home to your folks tonight."

Buttercup took the bottle, and quickly applied a drop to each of her eyes. She blinked several times as she handed the bottle back to Ace, "Thanks, Dude."

"No problem," he answered.

"Hey, Ace, I'm locking up out here!" shouted a voice from across the room. It was the girl with the clipboard.

"Thanks, Patricia! See ya tomorrow!"

"'Night!" she shouted as she closed the door behind her.

"Nino?" a tiny voice squeaked from the room behind Ace.

Buttercup's eyes widened as she noticed the tiny five-year-old in the doorway. The little girl rubbed her eyes sleepily as Ace walked towards her.

"Hey, Soph, whatcha need, mija?" he asked as he knelt down before her.

"Can I have some water?"

"'Course," Ace said as he stood. He began to walk across the room into another door on the left.

Buttercup stood awkwardly as the tiny child stared at her. "What's your name?" the little girl asked her, tilting her head with curiousity.

"Uh, Buttercup," Buttercup answered simply.

"That's a weird name," Sophia giggled.

Buttercup couldn't help but smirk. "Yeah, it is, huh?"

Ace returned with a glass of water for the little girl. "I'll be done out here in a bit, Soph," he told her as she took the glass from him. He planted a small kiss on the youngster's forehead and gently pushed her through the door way, shutting the door behind her.

Ace turned back around and faced Buttercup. "Yo, if anyone official asks, we ain't livin' here. Got it?"

Buttercup nodded. "Got it, Dude." She paused, "Uh, who was that?"

"My niece," Ace answered as he walked over to the same room again, "Arturo's kid, actually," he added as he reappeared with two cans of Coca-Cola. He offered one to Buttercup, and she took it. Ace walked back over the the pallet stage and sat down at the edge. He cracked open his can of soda and took a sip, "Figured you might have cotton mouth, too?"

Buttercup nodded from behind her can of soda as she gulped down the syrupy liquid, "Finally know why they call it that now," she laughed. She joined Ace at the edge of the stage and sat beside him. "So are you like babysitting your niece?" Buttercup continued to question.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that. I mean, since she was two, at least."

"Where's Arturo?" Buttercup asked as she sipped from her can of soda again.

"Villains Ward," Ace answered simply as he took his own swig of coke.

Buttercup swallowed and felt her stomach sink at the same time. She turned slightly red with embarrassment, "Sorry... I... dunno how I forgot." She gripped her red can of soda in her hands nervously, "Shit, I'm sorry." She shook her head as the distant memories of her fights with the Gangreen Gang began to resurface.

"Don't worry about it, Kid," Ace said. "It's all in the past, now." He hadn't looked at the girl since the awkward conversation began, but when he looked at her then, he noticed tears beginning to swell in the teen's green eyes. "Yo. You OK, Cuppo?"

Buttercup didn't feel herself crying until it was already happening. She quickly wiped the tears from her eyes before they could fall. "Shit, sorry. I don't know why I'm feeling emotional all of a sudden," she forced herself to laugh.

"Eh, it happens," Ace shrugged. "First time I got high, I cried for twenty minutes about my dead goldfish. Thing died years ago, but still missed the little guy, I guess," Ace laughed a little and gave Buttercup a reassuring pat on the back. "Weed makes you let your guard down like that. Makes you honest. Sometimes you don't realize how dishonest you've been to yourself till you blaze up, and get to really thinkin' about shit."

Buttercup nodded, "I guess I just never thought about it till now," she confessed. "Like, it's crazy, right? They used to call us to come in and beat you guys up. I honestly don't even remember most of the shit you guys did. We'd just get the call, and hunt down whoever the mayor needed stopped. Like... that was _fucked_ _up_."

"You're telling me."

" _Seriously_ ," Buttercup continued to speak as her mind raced, "I used to think that shit was fun! I mean, at the time it was! I mean, I loved it! It was awesome! I looked forward to that stupid hotline ringing, and I didn't care who the target was. I just wanted to get to the action! And, _Dude_ , the feeling was amazing! Like, you're five, right? And all these monsters and bad guys immediately look at you when you show up like ' _What the hell are you gonna do to me?_ ' and then you get to beat the shit out of them! And be like ' _That's what, Sucker!_ ' Man, feeling the bones crack as I sucker-punched you, or Billy, or Arturo or-"

"OK, OK," Ace waved his hand, "You started off sentimental, but now you're getting a little too excited about this shit." Ace couldn't help but laugh, still.

"Sorry," Buttercup also laughed. "I guess what I'm trying to say is... I miss you guys."

Ace smiled, "Yeah, you too, Kid."

Buttercup smiled before she took the last swig of her can of soda. "I better get going," she said as she hopped off the stage. "Professor's been blowing up my phone all night."

"Good luck, Soldier," Ace gave the teenager a salute.

Buttercup laughed and returned his salute. Ace laughed and stepped down from where he sat. "Hold up, lemme give you somethin' real quick." He jogged back to the counter and pulled something from a drawer, and returned to Buttercup. She held out her hand and Ace placed a joint in her palm. "A peace offering between old enemies. Some instant happy medicine. You know, for the next time you're stranded at the fair with your sisters, huh?"

Buttercup laughed, "Was it _that_ obvious I wasn't too happy then?"

"Kid, you looked like you wanted to shoot yourself when Blossom turned up with that other girl," he joked.

"Man, you have no idea." Buttercup laughed as she slid the joint into her pants pocket. "Thanks, Man."

"See ya, Kid."

"See ya."

* * *

A/N: Songs mentioned in this chapter. All lyrics credit to these two CA punk bands.

Chemical Warfare - Dead Kennedys (specifically around the 2:30 mark is where Blossom listens if you're curious)

Let's Lynch the Landlord - Dead Kennedys

Get Ready - Sublime


	3. Target Practice

**Villain: Redux**

By Yay Ninja Bob

* * *

**Part I: Remote Control**

**Chapter 3 - Target Practice  
**

"One day, you're going to have a child of your own, and you'll know how this feels."

The voice of his own mother was clear, as if her presence was in the room beside him. Professor Utonium reclined in the desk chair he had been sitting in for the last two hours as he waited Buttercup's bedroom for her return. The Professor rubbed at his tired eyes as he checked his wrist watch for the time yet again- twenty-four minutes past eleven.

"One day, you're going to have a child of your own, and you'll know how this feels."

It was something his mother would tell him on more than one occasion. Admittedly, Professor Utonium wasn't the easiest son a single mother would have to raise. He and his older brother were more or less free to do whatever they pleased while their mother worked day and night to support their small family. Most of his adolescent mischief was innocent enough-pranks on classmates, tee-peeing houses on Halloween, and those sort of juvenile things. However, looking back, Professor Utonium could see he didn't make his mom's life any easier. In elementary school, he was always his class clown and teacher's nightmare. He would be sent home with notes on his bad behavior on a weekly basis. Those notes piled up for years before his mother ever found them. Even now as a forty-nine-year-old man, he could clearly recall the sound of his mom sobbing over the collection of bad report cards. "After everything I have sacrificed for you, this is how you behave? And on top of that, you hid this from me! You lied to me! One day, you're going to have a child of your own, and you'll know how this feels."

It was never his intention to disappoint his mother, and by middle school he had changed his ways. All he needed was a little direction. Once he discovered his passion for science he found his path. His mother passed long before the creation of his three girls. Professor Utonium imagined that if his mother had been there to see her grandchildren, she would refer to Buttercup's behavioral issues as "karma."

Sure, Buttercup was a mischievous child, without a doubt. However, Professor Utonium was a child whose devious tendencies lessened as he aged, and Buttercup's rebellious nature only seemed to grow with age. At thirteen, her pessimistic attitude and quick temper was far worse than his own had ever been as a youth. Not to mention, she was a child with super-powers which brought its own unique challenges to parenthood. There were no parenting books on that. This new "growing pain" of Buttercup's superpowers was the latest challenge. The source of that power was Chemical X- something he, too, created. It, too, accidental. Chemical X was his children's' life force, yet the power behind the substance was still a mystery to Professor Utonium to that day.

That night, he found himself between a rock and a hard place. He had to be a father to his child, and hold her accountable for her actions. Sneaking out in the middle of the night was a serious thing, and he couldn't let it slip by without consequence. However, he had no idea how to handle her wild emotions, and he feared what they triggered. He knew he had to approach this situation carefully. As he watched the time, his emotions battled between worry, fear and frustration. He wasn't sure which emotion would win once Buttercup returned, but the moment she appeared through her bedroom window, the emotion that swept the Professor was relief.

"Shit," Buttercup muttered under her breath as she slid through her bedroom window, and spotted the Professor sitting at her computer desk.

Professor Utonium immediately stood and rushed to embrace her. Buttercup stood awkwardly on her bed as the Professor wrapped both his arms around her. She kept both arms to her side, and held her breath as he hugged her. She was frozen partly due to the surprise of this sort of reaction- she anticipated getting screamed at as soon as she arrived home. Truthfully, she was hoping his anger would be enough to blind him enough to not notice her intoxication. The other reason she was so still, and why she held her breath, was due to the fact that she was still high, and somehow rationalized in her mind's state that holding her breath would keep the Professor from noticing this.

"Thank goodness you're home," Professor said as he squeezed her tightly.

Buttercup still held her breath as the Professor released her from his smothering embrace. He stepped away so she could step down from her bed. " _Just don't look him in the eyes_ ," her mind spoke to herself as she cautiously stepped down from her mattress, " _Don't breathe, and don't talk, and maybe he won't-_ "

"Buttercup, are you holding your breath?" Professor Utonium raised an eyebrow as he watched Buttercup stand strangely still. He noticed her eyes dart away from him, as if actively avoiding eye contact as he moved towards her, studying her odd behavior.

Buttercup shook her head "no," but said nothing in response. Still, the teenager curiously held her breath, as she turned her back from him, and began to untie the hooded jacket she had fastened around her waist. She moved away from him, still not looking at her father who watched her, and tossed her jacket onto a pile of clothing on the floor of her closet.

"Buttercup, where did you go after dinner? You can't just leave without saying anything. Something could have happened, and we wouldn't know where to find you," the Professor lectured as calmly as he could, as he simultaneously studied the teenager's movements.

Buttercup gave a simple nod as she walked past the Professor again. As she moved past him, her eyes were on the floor, avoiding him, still.

"Buttercup," the Professor pleaded, "Where have you been? And why couldn't you answer your phone when I called you? You had me worried sick!"

Buttercup sat on her bed, and finally took her first breath, knowing she couldn't avoid not speaking to him. Still, she kept her eyes on the floor as she spoke slowly and carefully, "I... couldn't sleep. So, I met up with Mitch at the park, and we had a pick up game. I guess I just didn't hear my phone. ...Sorry. It won't happen again." She gave the first lie that came to her then, and held her breath once more as she silently prayed for the Professor to believe it. Judging on the silence, it wasn't a good sign for her.

The Professor crossed his arms as he stood before his guilty child. He knew she was lying. He had just learned the day before from her sister that Buttercup was no longer friends with Mitch Mitchelson. He watched Buttercup nervously bounce her knee as she continued to hold her breath, and not look at him. He sighed deeply, and tried to not get too angry over the obvious fib, "Buttercup," he said a little more sternly, "I know that's not true. Now, tell me where you've been all night."

Buttercup said nothing.

As Professor stood there with his arms crossed and waiting for his explanation, he began to notice a faint skunk-like odor coming from the teenager. He stepped towards her, knelt down, and smelled her hair.

Buttercup cringed as he did this, knowing her tactics were failing, she desperately began to shout her next lie: "OK, I went to a concert, and-"

" _You've been smoking pot?_!" the Professor yelled as soon as the realization came.

" _No_!" Buttercup continued her lie, "There were people at the show, and they were smoking, but _I_ didn't! I didn't smoke anything! I swear, Professor! The smell must have just rubbed off or-" Buttercup stopped as soon as she noticed the Professor had left the room. She sat on her bed, her heart racing now, as she waited for his return. He'd never gotten so angry before that he left the room in the middle of her explanation. She thought if she at least told a half-truth maybe it would be enough to be believable. As she watched the doorway to her bedroom for his return, she could hear her sisters in the next room whispering over what they just overheard. Sure enough, the two of them showed up at her doorway next. They stood there, jaws agape as they looked at their sister in shock of her state. Blossom opened her mouth to say something, but the sounds of Professor's footsteps returning stopped her. She and Bubbles disappeared quickly with bright flashes of pink and blue, and darted into their respective bedrooms down the hallway.

The Professor reappeared with a large cardboard box in hands. He spoke sternly as he entered the room, "You know, Buttercup, I had convinced myself that maybe your recent behavior was because I was too strict a parent," he walked to the Buttercup's desk and sat the cardboard box down on her desk's swivel chair. "I thought what I needed to do was trust you more. Give you more room to grow into your own person. Trust, that you would find your way. But clearly, I was wrong, and what you've had is too much freedom."

Buttercup sat on her bed and watched the Professor remove her laptop from her desk and place it inside the box. He then started to collect the various CD albums she had scattered across her desk and toss them into the box as well. Buttercup stood from her bed, "Professor, what are you doing?!" she shouted as she watched him collect her belongings one by one.

"I gave you a chance to explain yourself, but I'm obviously not going to get any straight answers out of you. You've given me no choice, Buttercup. You're grounded for a month, and that means no computer, no music, no comics, no video games, and no phone."

"But Professor, I told you the truth! I went to a show, but I didn't smoke anything, I swear!"

Her continued lying only elevated the anger within the Professor. Still, he managed to keep himself from raising his voice. He remained quiet as he removed Buttercup's video game collection from its shelf on the wall, and placed them in the box with her music and laptop. He watched Buttercup closely from the corner of his eyesight. Buttercup's response so far wasn't anger, but frozen shock, so he proceeded with his lecture, "You will get these things back once I've gone through them, and determined what's appropriate for you."

" _What?!_ Professor, since when do you care-"

" _Since my thirteen-year-old came home high!_ " he shouted loudly, but could not help himself. Buttercup stared at him with wide eyes. He forced himself to speak calmly again, "You _just_ turned thirteen, Buttercup... And this path you're going down... well, I don't like it."

Buttercup looked at the Professor, but said nothing. She only frowned at him as she sat back down on her bed, feeling defeated.

He walked up to where she sat on the bed and held out his hand, "Phone."

Buttercup obeyed and handed over her cell phone to him. She watched quietly as he added it to the box, and removed her comic book collection next. He paused to make a disgusted face at the cover one issue before tossing it into the box as if tossing away a piece of trash. She had to look away then, as she finally felt the effects of her previous euphoria long gone, and now replaced with sickening misery. The sight of seeing her possessions being taken from her made her feel hopeless in the situation. Her mind raced for a solution to stop the Professor, but all she could think of was to stick to her story, "I didn't smoke, Professor," she gave it one last shot.

"Buttercup, I wasn't born yesterday!" he immediately snapped back, "You may think I'm just some old square, but I know the symptoms of marijuana use! I can't believe you're still trying to lie to me!" His daughter's continued denial only dug her a deeper grave. Professor forcefully dropped the last bundle of gory comics into the box.

The loud thud of her belongings being carelessly handled suddenly ignited Buttercup's anger. She shot the Professor a direct glare. Professor Utonium stopped as soon as he noticed her intense gaze.

Buttercup glared at the Professor as if staring down a monster on the battlefield. Her green eyes were on fire with pure rage, but they teared up at the same time. She clenched both her fists hard, and her thin frame shook with her surfacing emotions. Through gritted teeth, and tears streaming down her cheeks, she looked Professor Utonium in the eyes and spoke low, but with serious venom: " _I hate you_."

All Professor Utonium could do was stare back in disbelief. His heart pounded in his chest, as he felt paralyzed by the hatred in his own daughter's eyes. Never before had the teenager ever looked at him like that. Buttercup sat there, her fists clenched, shaking with rising anger.

The fear of her experiencing another "meltdown" was heavy on the Professor's mind as he proceeded the best way he could. He slowly turned back to the box of Buttercup's belongings, and removed the teenager's cell phone from the box. He then slowly approached his daughter, and held out the device to her. "Here," he said quietly, "You can keep your phone, but I am holding onto the rest of this at least until the end of summer."

The intensity in Buttercup's face faded a little, and she wiped the tears from her face, her hands still clenched. She winced a little, as she reached for her cell phone and took the device. She said nothing, and turned her back on the Professor as soon as she held the phone in her hands.

Professor watched her closely as she seemed to slowly calm down. She wasn't speaking to him, but her expression had softened again, and her body seemed much less rigid, as she quietly sat on her bed and scrolled through her cell phone. His heart still raced though, and he felt as if he just managed to narrowly dodge a bullet.

Professor Utonium picked up the box of belongings. "I only want what's best for you, Buttercup," he said quietly, his voice shaking a little. "I hope you understand that." He turned to leave the room, "I love you very much," he told her as he left.

Buttercup watched as the Professor left. Once he was gone, she slowly kicked off her sneakers, and lowered herself onto her bed, and clutched her head. The Professor had made her so angry, her head now throbbed terribly, and she felt very drained of energy. As the teenager plugged her cell phone into its charger on her bedside nightstand, her hand twitched. Buttercup stretched her fingers as she tried to work out the cramping sensation that seemed to tingle from her palms through her fingertips. The teenager reclined against her pillow, as she cracked her knuckles. The tension in her hands made her tired.

Buttercup took deep breaths as she tried to push her frustrations out of her mind, but she couldn't stop the thoughts as they swarmed around her throbbing head: " _Why did he have to take everything?! What's appropriate for me?! What the hell does he even mean by that?! What a joke! He never cared before, but now he does?! Typical! Just like he never cared about us crime fighting until suddenly that was inappropriate, too! He's such an idiot! I hate him!_ "

Her left hand that grasped her forehead felt warm, and she winced from the sudden burning sensation. The intensity of the heat suddenly surged, as she felt a shock of electricity pierce the center of her palm, causing her to pull her hand away quickly. She cradled her aching palm with her other hand, and rolled over onto her belly, burrowing her face in her pillow. She let out a muffled cry into the pillow as she worked out the intense cramping in her left palm and cursed to herself, "Fuck, _fuck_ , **_fuck_**!"

It took a minute, but eventually the tension in her hand calmed down. She rolled back onto her back and exhaled deeply, feeling relieved to have survived the worse muscle cramp of her life. She would get them from time to time, but the pain was always brief. However, the sudden jolt of heat in her palm was definitely something new, and the pain this time was definitely stronger. She lay on her back and raised her palm to her face for closer inspection. But the heat was gone, and everything appeared normal.

Buttercup's headache was worse than before, and it made her dizzy as she stared up at her bedroom ceiling. That intense migraine, the strange burning in her palm, and all the drama with the Professor had her exhausted. She closed her eyes, and gladly surrendered to sleep.

* * *

"Rise and shine, Princess!"

Princess's eyes were shielded from the sunshine by the velvet sleeping mask she wore to bed nightly. She lay in her oversized bed, tangled in a heap of purple silk sheets, completely undisturbed, as her nanny went window to window, pulling the drapes open, and revealing the bright summer sun outdoors. "Come on, Dearie!" the stout woman continued to sing cheerfully to the sleeping teenager. "It's two in the afternoon now, Princess! Rise and shine!"

The woman's high pitched voice finally coaxed the curly-haired redhead from her slumber. She lifted her sleeping mask, resting it on her forehead, and sat up in bed. She crossed her arms and pouted, "Cathy, it's summer! If I want to sleep all day, then you should let me!"

"Sorry, Dearie," her nanny quickly shuffled across the grand bedroom suite, and opened the double-wide doors, retrieving a rolling cart. On top of the cart was Princess's daily breakfast, prepared by the Morbucks Manor kitchen staff. Cathy wheeled the platter to Princess's bedside, and carefully removed the golden breakfast tray from the dolly, and set it down on her lap. "I have no issues with you sleeping all day on the weekends, but Mr. Jacobs has been waiting downstairs for your lesson for two hours now, and he's getting a little impatient you see-"

" _Ugh_!" Princess groaned loudly, "Tell him to get a grip!" she shouted at Cathy as she picked at her plate of scrambled eggs. " _Jeez_ , what the hell does he expect from me anyways?! You know, Cathy, it's not fair! All the other kids get an actual summer vacation, but not me?! He's the worst tutor yet!"

As Princess began to nibble on a piece of bacon, a lump at the foot of her bed started to move from underneath the bed sheets. The smell of bacon had awakened Princess's canine companion- a tiny, eight-pound, red Pomeranian she called Precious. Instantly her grumpy expression softened, she grabbed her fluffy pet and squeezed him tightly, "Good morning, Precious!" She happily sat him down beside her, and the tiny pom danced in circles as Princess dangled a piece of bacon over his head.

"Good afternoon, Princess," Alfred announced as he entered the teenager's bedroom.

The smile on her face was instantly gone, and she turned her nose upward as she answered him, "Hello, Alfred. You know, it's not appropriate to come into my bedroom when I haven't even gotten dressed for the day."

The butler rolled his eyes, and glanced over at the nanny Cathy who tried her best to hide a small smile from their juvenile boss. "I just thought you would like to know that your tutor has been waiting for you in the study for-"

"I _know_! _OK_?! Jeez, Alfred, give me a break! I just woke up for crying out loud!" Princess pounded her fists angrily against the surface of her breakfast tray, causing her tall glass of orange juice to spill.

Her nanny reacted quickly by removing the tray altogether, and replacing it with a new one that was already prepared and waiting on the second shelf of the dolly. "Before I came to wake you for the day, I explained to Mr. Jacobs that you need at least an hour to get ready, Ms. Princess," she spoke cheerfully as she set the new breakfast platter down on her lap.

Princess smiled at her nanny, "See, that's why I like you, Cathy. You get it." She then shot a dirty look at the butler, "Unlike _some_ people."

Alfred forced a smile on his face as he spoke to the spoiled heiress, "I'll remind him then, Princess." He turned to leave, but was stopped.

"Wait!" Princess shouted at him. She held out her tiny dog towards him, "Here. You can take Precious on his walk today," she said with a devious smile.

Alfred sighed as he reached for the dog. The tiny pup's face turned to a snarl as the man reached for him with his gloved hands. The tiny pet snapped and barked at him with the fierceness of a wild grizzly bear. Alfred stopped and looked to Princess who still wore her mischievous smile. "Would you at least put his leash on for me this time? I'd rather not have another pair of gloves shredded today."

Princess cradled the dog in her arms like a baby, and the tiny beast was tame yet again. She lovingly scratched the dog on his belly, causing the fluffball to kick his legs rapidly and excitedly. She then set the dog down beside her again, and held a finger up to him, "Go with Alfred, Precious," she instructed the dog with a loving smile.

The Pomeranian hopped off the bed and started to prance towards the open doorway. Precious stopped once he reached the door, and began to bark a high pitched demand towards Alfred who trailed behind, as if telling the man to hurry up. As Alfred walked past the tiny dog, through the doorway, Precious latched onto his pants at the ankle, and ferociously ripped at the cloth. While Alfred continued to walk, the dog held on tightly with his bite.

Princess continued with her breakfast as her nanny went about her bedroom, getting things ready for the day, just as she did every day. She first turned on the television in Princess's room, which was enough to distract the teenager for some time. The young heiress sat amongst her mountain of pillows, enjoying her breakfast and the latest episode of one of her favorite reality shows. Her dark brown eyes were glued to the screen as she eagerly watched the latest drama unfold.

The heiress's large bedroom had its own bathroom suite, and while her young boss was entertained, Cathy prepared Princess's daily bath next. As she added the young girl's favorite lavender infused oils to the hot bath water and decorated the purple colored water with fresh rose petals, she heard Princess scream from the bedroom, followed by the sound of something shattering.

Cathy shut off the running water, and quickly returned to the room. Princess's tantrums were never a surprise, but it was always her duty to deal with them. When she reentered the room, she stood clear of a soaring ceramic plate that flew across the room, and watched it crash against the already damaged TV screen. The screen's images were distorted beyond recognition due to the large crack Princess had made in the screen with her glass of OJ, but Cathy recognized the commercial's voice over that still spoke, "Don't miss it! The Discovery Dome is opening this November-"

A second loud, high pitched scream drowned out the announcement, as Cathy rushed to shut off the TV.

Princess ripped at her own hair as she screamed at the top of her lungs, standing on top of her mattress, in the middle of her bed. Her long, silk nightgown, snagged on her feet as she frantically bounced across the large bed, attempting to reach the vase of fresh flowers on her nightstand. However, Princess's nanny was always on top of her job, and beat the teenager to it. She grabbed the vase before Princess could, and tried her sweetest voice to calm the emotional girl, "Come on, Dearie, don't let those Powerpuffs get to you... Let's calm down... Deep breaths now-"

"GIVE ME THE VASE NOW, CATHY!"

"How about we-"

" _NOW,_ CATHY!"

The servant had no choice but to listen to the angry teenager who stood above her. Princess ripped the glass vase from Cathy as soon as it was offered back to her. The short, five-foot girl stood at the edge of her bed's mattress, and held the vase of flowers above her head. She chucked the arrangement down at her marbled bedroom floor, and watched the vase burst into a thousand tiny glass shards, picturing it to be the head of her enemy, and hoping it would be enough to satisfy her growing inner rage.

It was not.

Princess let out another scream, this time muffled through gritted teeth, as she marched to her walk-in closet. Her freckled skin turned redder as her anger continued to boil within her. She had been fine watching television and enjoying breakfast, until the Powerpuff-themed commercial began to run. As soon as Princess saw the images of her three former nemesis, it ignited an uncontrollable fire within her. It had been over three years since their last encounter, but for Princess, the wounds from their last battle were far from healed. Just the sight of the famous trio was enough to cause Princess to become completely blinded by her temper.

She flicked on the lights to the oversized closet, and retrieved the first pair of jeans she saw, slipping them on forcefully, while she simultaneously searched her closet for a decent top. She forcefully plucked a yellow-colored, high-collared chiffon top from where it hung in the closet. Her brown eyes darted to her left and saw Cathy waiting at the doorway with a helpless and confused expression. Princess immediately snapped at her: "Well, what are you waiting for?! Go clean all that glass off the floor! _NOW_!"

Princess slammed the door to her closet shut before Cathy could try and rationalize with her. A full length mirror hung on the back of the door, and as it shut, Princess's eyes fell on her reflection. Her emotional tantrum had caused her to pull her perfectly pinned up hair out of place, and now her dark red, kinky curls were ravished and wild. She pulled out the remaining bobby pins in her hair and shook out her curls, letting them fall where they naturally sat shoulder length. She cursed to herself as she pulled off her nightgown, and then paused for a moment.

Her dark eyes narrowed at her reflection as she turned to her side, and her sight fell on the one thing she hated about her body- her scars. She could only see the ones that stretched across her shoulder blades for herself, but she knew they were much worse in the center of her back. The raised gashes wove a sinister looking web of scarred flesh across her entire backside. There were several spots along her spine where her flesh was bumpy from the permanently embedded pieces of metal and shrapnel. And although she couldn't see these lumps for herself, she would always be reminded of the metal embedded in her which kept her growth forever stunted. The brief sight of her imperfections only fueled her anger more, as she was reminded of the blue Powerpuff in particular who she held responsible for those scars. Princess forcefully slipped on her yellow shirt, and kicked the door to her closet open.

The teenager had to redirect her rage on something before she imploded, and for her, that meant one thing- a quick session at her private shooting range on the west wing. As soon as she emerged from her bedroom, she shouted at the top of her lungs, " _SOMEBODY FIND ALFRED AND TELL HIM TO READY MY TARGET PRACTICE **NOW**!_"

Her orders echoed throughout the manor, but unknown to Princess, her nanny had already instructed another staff member to have Alfred waiting for the heiress at the shooting range. In fact, he had everything prepared for the teenager. He hung a freshly printed photo of each Powerpuff Girl, on three separate target carriers that sat at the far end of the private range. As Alfred made his way to the range entrance, he carefully adjusted the spread of gold-plated firearms that were laid out for Princess. Three personalized semi-automatic handguns, each loaded and waiting for the teenager's fury.

Alfred opened the door to the range, perfectly timed for her entrance. She said nothing to Alfred, but proceeded to her station, picked up the first pistol, and aimed at the target to the left, swiftly unloading its entire chamber on the green Puff target. Her anger had overcome her so much, the gun clicked several times, before she realized it had been emptied of all its bullets. She threw the exhausted weapon on the floor, and picked up her next pistol, taking aim at the center target, and again unloaded everything it had.

Even as careless as her aim was, Princess hit her target easily. It was her favorite activity after shopping, after all. Watching the bullets shred apart the papered Powerpuffs was a satisfying sight. As the image of Blossom's smiling face was torn to pieces by the force of the bullets, Princess finally could feel the rage inside her slowly die down. If only the images were the real thing, and if only bullets could pierce a Powerpuff as easily as they pierced paper. Unfortunately for Princess the one evil mastermind who could forge a weapon capable of harming a Powerpuff was locked away for life in the Villains Ward. So the next best thing the young enemy of the Puffs could do to gratify her never-dying hatred was to pretend her fantasies of revenge were real.

Princess set the emptied gun back down, and smiled to herself as she picked up her final weapon. The redhead slowly released the safety on her glock as she moved slowly across the range floor. Her brown eyes were narrowed, and focused intently on her final target. As she stared down the image of the blonde Powerpuff, her memories flashed back to the last time she faced the heroine in battle.

They had come for her blaster rays, claiming that any anti-Powerpuff technology had been ruled illegal in the city. Princess would never give up her trusted ray guns without a fight. The pair of golden laser pistols were priceless, and the destructive energy they emitted had the power to successfully stun a Powerpuff Girl. It took the young villain some practice, but over time she had become a skilled marksman. She discovered if she managed to catch one of those Puffs with both blasters at once, the electric shock was damaging enough to knock them completely unconscious. Truly, her blaster rays were her most prized possessions. Without them, Princess wouldn't stand a chance against the super-powered girls she sought to destroy one day. So, even though she promised her father that she would be a good girl and surrender her villain-made weapons peacefully, when the time came, she could not.

She strapped on her jet pack and flew away, and it was Bubbles of the Powerpuff Girls who pursued her. It was Bubbles who aimed her laser eyes at the ten-year-old villain's jet pack, causing it to explode on impact. It was Bubbles who caused the accident who left the young heiress scarred forever. And even though she was completely unaware of this, it was Bubbles who was Princess's most hated Powerpuff of all.

Alfred watched the deranged child laugh maniacally as she held the pistol to the paper target's forehead, and he knew then that the young girl was completely absorbed then by her fantasies. He knew better than to ever interrupt Princess during her villainous monologue, but he'd overheard it so many times, he could recite it word for word:

"Well, _well_ , Bubbles, thought you could get away with it, didn't you? You thought you could just shoot a girl in the back and get away with it?! Well, it's just like you _stupid_ Powerpuffs to think you're _so_ above consequences! You think you're better than me, don't you?! You and your stupid sisters have always thought that you were better than me! Well, you're wrong! And now you're de-"

"Excuse me?"

Princess's finger was still on the trigger when she had been interrupted. She had been right on the verge of her fury's climax. However, the sound of her teacher's pathetic, quivering voice had derailed her execution fantasy and this enraged the mentally disturbed child yet again.

" _Big mistake_ ," Alfred thought as he watched Princess's home school tutor, Mr. Jacobs, enter the room. Sensing trouble, the butler disappeared quietly behind the safety of the bullet-proof shield to his right.

"Sorry to interrupt, Princess," her teacher continued as he stood at the other end of the range, "It's just that we really need to get started if we're going to accomplish any sort of lesson today. I only have another hour to spare before-"

He stopped as the teen whipped around, and aimed the weapon directly at him. Mr. Jacobs stood, frozen in fear with both hands up in surrender as the short girl continued to threaten him with her pistol. Princess glared at him as she debated whether or not to shoot his brains out for the interruption, but luckily for Mr. Jacobs, she resisted. She gritted her teeth and returned her attention the Bubbles target across the room. She took aim and fired, screaming in frustration at the top of her lungs as she sent a steady stream of bullets flying through the paper Puff's forehead.

As soon as the crazy-eyed teen's attention was back on her original target, Mr. Jacobs ran out of the room, leaving only a sad puddle of urine behind.

"That's the fifth tutor you've scared off now, Princess," Alfred shook his head as he stepped out from his hiding spot once it was safe to do so again. "You do remember what your father said after you lost the last one, right?"

Princess tossed her pistol aside, and crossed her arms stubbornly as she recalled her father's promise to send her back to public school if she failed to keep her newest tutor. She looked to Alfred who wore a smug expression, and she rolled her eyes. "I hate it when you're right," she muttered as she quickly moved past him.

Her tutor was still running down the hallway, as she turned the corner she shouted after him: "HEY, YOU! _WAIT_!"

The sudden sound of Princess's voice calling after him was enough to make the school teacher trip over his own feet. He fell flat on his stomach, knocking the wind from himself, and buying Princess some time to catch up. She snapped her fingers at Alfred to hurry after him on her behalf. The butler reached the young tutor and helped him off the ground.

"OK, Mr. Jacobs, what's your price?" Princess sighed loudly as she approached the panting man.

"Excuse me?" he gaped at the teenager.

"How much for you to stay on and be my tutor?" Princess demanded as she crossed her arms.

"Look," the young man held his hands up again in defense, "I could deal with you not finishing any of your assignments, or you not showing up for half of your lessons, but... I-I don't think I can do this! I just want to go home."

Princess looked to Alfred and gave him a nod, signaling for the butler to retrieve the checkbook he kept guarded in his vest pocket. Alfred held a pen to the checkbook and waited for further instruction.

Princess uncrossed her arms, and tried on her best imitation of a charming smile, "Look, I can't go back to public school, so just tell me a number and it's yours. All you have to do is stay on as my tutor, and when Daddy asks how I'm doing, you tell him I'm that I'm your best student. You just give me the A's that my daddy wants, and I'll give you enough money so you won't have to worry about teaching any other kids ever again. Deal?"

"Honestly, Princess, I don't think I could be your teacher for a million dollars," Mr. Jacobs stepped cautiously away from the smiling teenager. The fact that she had just minutes earlier been screaming at the top of her lungs, and now she stood before him while she batted her eyes innocently, made him feel all the more uneasy about the situation.

"So, two million then?" Princess placed her hands on her hips, and sighed deeply. "Very well. Alfred, cut him the check."

Mr. Jacobs stared at the check written out to him for two-million dollars in disbelief.

"Same time tomorrow then, right?" Princess extended her hand out towards Mr. Jacobs for a handshake.

The tutor slowly took the short teen's hand in his and shook it, nodding slowly in agreement. He then tried to pull away to take his leave, but Princess held onto her grip firmly.

"Daddy is returning home from his business trip this Friday. You better be here to tell him what a perfect student I've been. Or I'll see to it you don't enjoy a dime of that money, got it?"

He gulped loudly as she released her tight grip on his hand. "Got it."

Princess smiled, "Good."

Alfred stood beside the heiress at the top of the grand stair case as they both watched the nervous school teacher leave through the manor's grand entrance below. He glanced to Princess who stood, wearing a proud smile on her face. She was right to feel victorious. Two million dollars may have been a large sum of money to the average man, but to the Morbucks family it was hardly a noticeable amount. It was certainly something Princess's father would never notice missing since he was used to the spoiled girl spending just as much on a spontaneous shopping spree. "Feeling better, Princess?"

Princess straightened her posture and gave the butler a smug smile, "Much better, Alfred."

* * *

Bubbles stood outside the door to her sister Buttercup's bedroom for a long time. She debated whether or not choosing to enter without permission was a good idea or not. On one hand, her green-eyed sister was very strict about her privacy and would get angry at her for disrespecting her wishes to be left alone, but on the other hand, she hadn't seen her sister outside her bedroom in three full days and she was growing concerned. She knew her sister had to be pretty upset about being grounded for the rest of summer, but Bubbles couldn't understand why Buttercup would shut her out, too. Even if she was mad at the Professor, or Blossom, Buttercup rarely ignored her, too. For two days, Bubbles had tried knocking on her door at various times of the day, but never received an answer. X-ray vision proved she was in the room, however. Every time Bubbles failed to hear anything coming from her sister's room, she was sure to check, and all she could see was Buttercup lying in bed, curtains drawn shut, and her bed sheets pulled over her head.

Bubbles held her breath as she carefully and quietly turned the doorknob to Buttercup's bedroom door. The blonde Powerpuff was cautious as she stepped inside and shut the door behind her. She stood there, quiet for several minutes as she watched her tomboy sister sleep. Buttercup lay on her side, with her back turned towards her, and her bed sheets pulled tightly around her. Bubbles quietly hovered over to her sister's bedside and placed a gentle hand on her sister's backside and whispered gently, "Buttercup, hey, you awake?"

Buttercup only grumbled in response and pulled her bed sheets further over her head, disappearing completely under her quilted comforter.

Bubbles frowned, but kept trying. "Robin's mom is taking us to the mall to do some back-to-school shopping with Robin. Did you want to come with us? Professor said it was OK if you wanted to."

Bubbles waited several minutes for an answer, but there never was one. She left her sister's room just as quietly as she entered it. As she descended the staircase, she hung her head low, and Robin who waited for her at the bottom of the stairs could see she had been unsuccessful. "She said 'no,' didn't she?"

"No," Bubbles sighed deeply. "She's still not saying anything."

Robin frowned as she watched Bubbles sit on the last step of the stair case and prop her head in her hands. She sat down beside her best friend and sighed, too. She loved all three of her best friends equally, but seeing Bubbles so defeated was a very depressing thing. It was the girl's best quality to always remain on the bright side of things. It wasn't like Bubbles to mope about nothing, so seeing her so concerned over Buttercup was enough to make Robin equally concerned. "We could buy her something while we're at the mall," Robin tried with a reassuring smile, "Maybe a new video game would cheer her up."

Bubbles shook her head, "Professor said no video games," she frowned, "It was hard enough trying to convince him to let her go with us to the mall. The only reason he said 'yes' was 'cause I swore your mom would be with us the whole time, and if she went the only thing she'd be allowed to buy is clothes and school supplies."

Robin's teal eyes widened a little, "Jeez, what did she do this time?"

Bubbles bit her lip, "I'm not supposed to say. But it was bad."

"How bad?"

"Bad," Blossom answered as she entered the hallway from the dining room entrance. She had been in their basement's laboratory assisting the Professor for the day. "Let's just say it was behavior that isn't very Powerpuff-like." Blossom placed her hands on her hips and looked to Bubbles, "Just leave her be," she said. "She's the one choosing to be a shut-in after all. If you ask me, she's just being dramatic. Really, the only one she has to blame is herself."

"I dunno, Blossom," Bubbles still wore her glum expression, "She's never slept for days like this before, and I don't think she's even eating."

Blossom rolled her eyes, "This is what she does. She breaks the rules, does something bad to get in trouble, and then guilt trips the Professor into caving in on his punishment." The redhead crossed her arms as her eyes fell on the door to her sister's bedroom on the second floor. "She's just feeling extra pitiful this time because she's been at it all week, and the Professor won't budge on this one. And who can blame him? I mean, she broke the law for one thing!-"

"She broke the law?" Robin gasped.

Bubbles stood from where she sat, and faced her taller sibling. "I don't think what she did was a good thing at all, Blossom. And maybe she is feeling sorry for herself, but I feel sorry for her, too! She's really taking this hard!"

"Well, you shouldn't feel sorry for her!"

"But I do!"

"Bubbles, that is exactly what she wants!"

"Oh my gosh, Blossom, that's crazy! So you think she got in trouble just so that people could feel sorry for her?!"

"No, I think she got in trouble, because she got caught! And that's no one's fault but hers! So, you shouldn't feel sorry for her!"

"I feel sorry for her because she's my sister, and I love her, and I know she's been having a hard time! She probably just got caught up having too much fun, and-"

"Oh my God, are you seriously defending what she did right now?!"

"Ever since Mitch started those mean rumors at school about her, you know she's been miserable since! Everyone in our class has pretty much shut her out, so it's no wonder she acts the way she does! Can't you see that?! I know she messed up on her own for what she did, and yeah, I know the Professor is just trying to keep her from messing up again, but... she's just worse now!"

Robin remained sitting on the bottom step of the staircase and watched the two sisters bicker back and forth. She tried to follow along as best she could with their arguments, but truthfully had no idea what the center of the controversy was, and didn't know how she could help. It was unusual for Blossom and Bubbles to be fighting like that, so it only heightened Robin's curiosity as to what they could be talking about. While the two sisters continued to fight, Robin quietly slipped away, and went to get answers from the source herself.

When Buttercup felt the touch of somebody's hand on her back, she assumed it to be Bubbles again. "Go away, Bubbles," she muttered, half-asleep still.

"It's me," came Robin's sweet voice, which was enough to wake Buttercup up fully.

The tomboy sat up immediately, and saw Robin sitting at the foot her bed. The brunette couldn't help but giggle a little when Buttercup tore the bed sheets off from over her head and revealed her wild bedhead. Buttercup ran her fingers through her short, stiff, black hair, feeling embarrassed to be seen in such a state by her secret crush. She wasn't sure what time it was, but she knew it had to be late into the afternoon already. So being caught still in bed felt pretty humiliating for the teen. "Oh, hey, Robin," she tried to force a smile, "What are you doing here?"

"Just thought I'd visit," Robin smiled. "You sure you don't want to come to the mall with us today?"

Buttercup shook her head, "Nah, that's OK."

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

Robin stood from Buttercup's bed and looked around her room. She began to notice how bare the shelves in her room were, where she normally kept her comics and video games. She remembered what Bubbles had said about Buttercup's punishment. "I heard the Professor punished you pretty bad this time," she started.

"Yeah," Buttercup answered as she watched Robin. "I'm grounded at least until the end of summer he said."

Robin frowned a little, "Yeah, that sucks," she said. "I got my green belt in karate the other day. I wanted to invite you, and that's when Bubbles told me you were grounded." She paused, "What'd you do anyway?"

"I stayed out past curfew."

"That's all?"

"Nah," Buttercup hesitated. "I went to a concert."

"Really?!" Robin turned around and faced Buttercup. Her teal eyes were wide with excitement as she returned to her bedside. She plopped down on the teenager's bed and began to beg for details, "Was it a rock show?!"

Buttercup smirked. "Yeah."

Robin bounced a little with anticipation. She and Buttercup had talked before about wanting to catch a live rock show one day. "Who did you see?!"

Buttercup shrugged, "Just some local punk band-"

"Were they good?!"

Buttercup laughed a little as she watched Robin continue to bounce from where she sat, "Yeah, they were."

"Oh my gosh, I'm so jealous!" Robin playfully swatted at the tomboy. "Was there a mosh pit?!"

Buttercup's grin widened, "Yeah, it was crazy!"

"That's _so_ cool!" Robin stood again from the bed and began to bounce around energetically. "Was it like this?!" she laughed as she danced around in an imaginary pit.

Buttercup couldn't help but laugh. "Yeah, they were a little more aggressive than that."

The brunette continued to dance, happy to see her friend awake now, and wearing a smile. She grabbed Buttercup by her hand and pulled the skinny teenager from her bed, encouraging her to bounce with her. Robin held onto both of Buttercup's hands as she jumped up and down, and Buttercup felt inspired to do the same. The two girls jumped in unison while holding hands and laughed together. "I'd play some music, but the Professor took all of it," Buttercup confessed between jumps.

"That's OK!" Robin shouted as she leapt onto Buttercup's bed mattress, pulling the tomboy along with her. They continued their jumping on the spring mattress, still hand in hand. "We don't need it!" The brunette released Buttercup's hands and leapt off the bed again. She grabbed a hairbrush she had spotted on a shelf in the room, and returned to the bed. She continued to bounce again with her friend as she held the hairbrush to her lips like an imaginary microphone and began to sing poorly, between bounces and panted breaths:

" _Color me your color, baby!_  
_Color me your car!_  
_Color me your color, darling!_  
_I know who you are!"_

Robin's singing was far from impressive, but Buttercup nonetheless became captivated by Robin's spontaneous song. She stopped bouncing, and found herself mesmerized by her crush's inspiring free spirit. The tomboy realized her cheeks hurt from how wide her own grin had gotten, and feeling embarrassed by how goofy she imagined herself to look then, she stopped grinning immediately. To Buttercup, Robin's infectious positivity was something that truthfully frightened her. The green Puff felt a stabbing sensation in her chest, and she knew she was pathetically falling deeper for the girl. This really scared her. It wasn't as if she ever wanted to feel this way about her friend, and still she did. It was out of her control, and the very idea petrified her time and time again.

Robin noticed the moment her friend's smile had faded. "What's wrong?" Robin asked with a frown as she, too, stopped bouncing.

Buttercup shook her head and forced a smile again, "Nothing," she lied.

Robin held her hand to her chest as she panted heavily, still catching her breath from their dancing. She sat back down on the bed and laughed a little, "You can tell me I'm a bad singer, it's OK."

Buttercup fought the smile, but it won over anyway. She shook her head, and laughed a little, "Nah, you're not bad," she lied.

Robin watched Buttercup as she sat down beside her. She thought about what Blossom and Bubbles had been fighting over, and decided she'd try and get her answer then. "Going to a rock show doesn't sound so bad," she thought out loud. "Why'd the Professor get so mad this time?"

Buttercup wondered if she could trust Robin with the truth. Robin was her only friend, after all. One of the reasons why Buttercup liked her so much was she wasn't as uptight as the rest of the girls in their grade. Still, Robin could be pretty innocent like her sister Bubbles, and tended to be a rule-follower like Blossom. So, she didn't want to scare her away.

Robin sensed her friend's hesitation. She moved closer to Buttercup and lowered her voice as she spoke, "I promise, I won't tell."

Buttercup's green eyes darted quickly towards the doorway, checking for signs of her sisters or the Professor before she answered her friend: "OK, I tried pot at the concert."

Robin gasped, and Buttercup shushed her immediately. " _Sorry_ ," Robin whispered. "It's just... _wow_. I guess I can see how that got you grounded from pretty much everything then."

Buttercup waited for Robin to say more, but the girl had grown quiet. "You think that makes me a bad person?"

"No!" Robin almost shouted. She lowered her voice again, " _No_ ," she repeated, "Don't tell anyone, but my dad does it all the time."

"Your dad smokes weed?"

"Yeah, but don't tell anyone, OK?"

"I won't," Buttercup smiled a little.

"And I don't think you should, you know, do it anymore... I mean, I get why you'd wanna just try it! That's cool, but my dad says you should wait till college."

Buttercup scoffed, "If that's the case, then Blossom can in a year then," she crossed her arms.

Robin frowned, "Yeah I heard about that. Blossom seems really excited about it." Robin sighed as she reclined back on Buttercup's bed, "It's gonna suck not having you guys in school with me, though."

"Bubbles and I will still be in high school when you catch up," Buttercup shrugged.

"Yeah," Robin sat up and smiled, "Blossom's IQ must have been pretty high if the Professor is going to let her start college next year. She said it was one hundred and sixty-one, but I honestly have no idea what that means," she hid a girlish giggle behind her hand. "What'd you get?"

Buttercup shrugged, "I dunno. Who cares. Not high enough for college apparently."

The brunette could sense the dark cloud returning over her friend's head as she grew quiet once again. Robin poked Buttercup playfully in the arm, " _So_ ," she smiled somewhat deviously, "What was it like?"

Buttercup blushed a little from how Robin looked at her then. She wondered for a moment what she was talking about, and then realized, "Oh. Being high?"

Robin nodded.

"It was weird, but fun," Buttercup shrugged. "I dunno. It definitely wasn't what I expected. I thought maybe I'd hallucinate and see something crazy, but that didn't happen. It just made everything feel... deeper. Does that make sense? Like, everything was clear? I dunno. Like, it made the music sound super crisp, like you could hear everything in high-def or something. And I noticed shit I never really did before; it's hard to explain. It made me feel super happy, too. Like a ridiculous level of happy. But, it was like I didn't care, you know?"

"Wow," Robin breathed. "That's so cool!"

Buttercup could feel her face grow warm as she noticed her crush staring at her with wide eyes. She had hoped Robin wouldn't judge her for her actions, but the way she looked at her then, Buttercup wondered what was going on in the girl's mind to cause that particular sparkle of amazement that shone in her eyes.

"Seriously, Buttercup," Robin continued, "I don't care what the other girls in our grade say about you," she smiled. "I think you're super cool."

Buttercup laughed nervously, "What do they say about me? That I'm a gross dyke?"

"They're stupid," Robin said with frown. She reached for her friend's hands then and held them in her own. "I think you're brave, Buttercup. You're not afraid to be who you are. I wish I was as brave as you."

Buttercup sat there, allowing Robin to hold her hands, but she had gone completely deaf to what the girl was saying. The moment Robin took her hands in hers, all Buttercup could focus on were her best friend's soft lips as they moved almost in slow motion. There was nothing more that Buttercup desired than to plant her lips on hers in that moment. Instead, she found herself paralyzed by the way her crush daintily held onto her hands. Maybe she was reading into things too deeply, but Buttercup wondered just why Robin hadn't let go yet.

"Robin, your mom's waiting for us downstairs!" it was Bubbles who interrupted the moment.

Buttercup immediately pulled her hands away from Robin as Bubbles entered her bedroom. Bubbles smiled innocently at the two of them, she looked to her green-eyed sister, "You're up! Does that mean you're coming, too?"

Buttercup looked from Robin to Bubbles who both pleaded at her with puppy dog expressions. As much as Buttercup wanted to continue to talk with Robin, she truthfully felt tired and in no mood to leave her room, let alone their home, or be in a place as crowded as the mall. Besides, shopping was never something she enjoyed, and when it came to her sisters and Robin, a trip to the mall was an all day adventure. Buttercup shook her head, "No thanks."

Bubbles sighed heavily, "Fine. Guess it's just you and me then, Robin."

"What happened to Blossom?"

Bubbles shrugged, "She said she's going to keep helping the Professor in the lab today." It was the best excuse Bubbles could think of on the spot, and it was half-true after all. But the whole truth was that she and Blossom had been eavesdropping on both their friend and sibling, and Blossom had her feelings hurt from what she overheard. Bubbles wasn't sure if it was the fact that Robin called Buttercup's rebellion 'cool,' or if it was when she admired their green sister's bravery. Whatever it was crushed Blossom's hopes, Bubbles knew it'd take some time before her redheaded sister would be able to act normally around her crush again.

While it was true these comments struck up a bit of jealousy in the pink Powerpuff, they weren't the main reason for Blossom's sudden departure. Yes, she felt somewhat hurt by Robin's uncaring attitude concerning her sister's actions. Yes, she felt jealousy- lot's of jealousy, in fact. That was obvious, and something she had already battled with. What she hadn't anticipated were the simultaneous feelings of something bigger. It overwhelmed her, and it completely caught her off-guard. When she and Bubbles spied on the two of them, Blossom thought for certain she would hear Robin trying to get Buttercup up, and Buttercup still refusing. Instead, things went very differently. As she eavesdropped on Robin and Buttercup, Blossom's meager little crush unexpectedly erupted into an undeniable hopeless, aching, and pitifully crippling love. For hours, it was all she could think about.

" _Isn't it just like Robin to be the one capable of putting a smile on the grouchiest person on the planet? Of course, Robin could do the impossible and get Buttercup up and out of bed- dancing even! Bubbles had tried to get Buttercup up for the last three days, and was unsuccessful. But Robin? First try, and she did it. I even heard Buttercup laughing. How did she manage that? God, she's incredible... amazing... daring... beautiful... the perfect girl..._ " Blossom's mind raced only with admiration for Robin. She found it difficult to focus on what the Professor spoke about as they worked together in the basement laboratory. The two of them had been performing the same task all day though, so she was able to compete her work despite being totally absent-minded.

Still, Professor Utonium could tell there was something different about Blossom that evening. Earlier in the day she had been her usual self, but since the afternoon she had grown oddly quiet, which was nothing like her. "Blossom?" he repeated her name for the fifth time, but still the teenager was unresponsive. She sat on the stool at her work station with her elbows propped up on the counter top, and her head resting on her hands. Her pink eyes were focused on the solution boiling in the beaker that sat in front of her, but Professor Utonium could tell that her mind was someplace else as she wore a dreamy sort of expression.

Professor Utonium stood from where he sat across the room and joined his daughter at her work station. He sat down on the stool beside her, and still the girl seemed unaware of his presence completely. " _Blossom_?" he repeated for the sixth time.

Blossom finally heard him and answered, "Yeah?"

"I was asking you if that polysulfide solution was ready yet?"

Blossom blinked at the beaker that sat in front of her. The solution had turned red, signifying that the sulfur had completely dissolved and in fact, had been ready for some time. It still boiled though, and Blossom realized she had forgotten to remove it from the heat like she should have. "Sorry, it just needs to cool," she apologized as she quickly removed the beaker from its stand. She held the solution up to her lips and softly blew a cold, icy breath against the glass, cooling its contents to an appropriate temperature before handing it off to the Professor.

The Professor chuckled as he took the beaker from her and returned to his own work station. "Something on your mind, Sweetie?

Blossom smiled weakly, but wasn't sure if she was ready to share her feelings with the Professor of all people. Instead, she changed the subject, "Do you want me to get started on purifying yesterday's overnight batch?"

"Already done," the Professor answered with a smile. "I took care of it while you were upstairs with your sisters." He nodded towards a small vial which sat on the highest shelf above his work station.

Blossom's eyes fell on the vial of black, metallic liquid. She hovered off the ground by several inches so that she was at eye level of the chemical solution. "That's all we got?" she blinked at the vial's contents in disbelief.

"That's all."

"It's barely what? One milliliter?"

"Just about, yes."

Blossom lowered herself into the stool beside the Professor. "Wow, you weren't kidding when you said this stuff had a disproportionately low yield," she poked at the pile of black colored ores that sat in a tiny heap on the Professor's work station. She picked up one of the golf-ball sized crystal-like rocks and held it up to the light for closer inspection. In the light, the dark black mineral became more opaque, and one could see faint traces of pink, blue and green sparkle within the clouded crystal. These hidden colors were only viewable under direct light, and still very hard to see. The ores were pretty dull and almost coal-like in appearance at first glance, which was probably why the rare mineral went unnoticed for so long.

Professor Utonium had mistaken it for a rarer form of cinnabar himself, since the Townsville mine he had collected it from was known for its abundance of it. However when the young Professor began to experiment with refining the strange black ore, he was surprised to discover something entirely knew. The mineral shared the same characteristics that an average natural specimen of cinnabar would, and it behaved just as mercury sulfide should. It's color was off, but not too different from the darker version of the mineral- metacinnabar. Mysteriously, though, at the end of Utonium's refinement process, where there should have been pure mercury, there was something else.

He called it Chemical X.

"It'll be a least thirty more batches before we have the amount of Chemical X we need," Professor Utonium said as he used a small plastic spoon to scoop a tiny amount of the grounded up ore that was the main ingredient to his chemical solution. He slowly added the grounded black substance the the polysulfide solution Blossom had prepared. "Truthfully, I'm not sure we'll have enough. I've been writing for permission to enter Monster Isle in hopes of locating a fresh mining location, but so far, all my attempts have been denied. They sure have that place on high security."

Blossom returned the small black rock to its pile, and then looked to the other end of the room where the Professor's latest solution sat. He called it a microdose of Antidote X, and had designed it to help her sister Buttercup with her strange energy-surges. It wasn't enough to rid her of her powers, but it would be enough to calm them at least temporarily. At least, that's how the Professor explained it to her. The red colored metallic liquid was already prepared for administration, and loaded into a capped syringe. It sat on a raised table which was beside to a small, white sheeted medical cot the Professor kept in the back corner of his laboratory. The basement medical ward was a place Blossom and her sisters hadn't had to visit in years. Blossom wondered if Buttercup would ever need it, but now that she noticed the Professor already had the antidote ready and prepared... she began to understand the sense of urgency the Professor seemed to have about making more. Clearly, something made him believe that another meltdown to be inevitable.

Blossom's eyes drifted upwards toward the tiny vial of Chemical X again. It was at that moment when she noticed the small glass container began to vibrate and shake, along with the other contents on the shelving above her and the Professor. Blossom shot up with a flash of pink light and caught the tiny vial of Chemical X before it could fall from the shelf. As Blossom caught the vial in her hands, and watched other empty glass beakers start to clash to the ground, she realized what was happening.

An earthquake.

Professor Utonium scrambled to keep the solution in front of him from tipping over as the entire room began to shake even more. The Professor took the beaker of solution with him as he ducked for cover underneath his work desk. However, Blossom was hardly intimidated by an earthquake, and she stayed where she was. Her eyes fell on the solution of Antidote X across the room. She immediately zipped over to it in a flash of pink light, and took it in her hands for safe keeping.

Books toppled off their shelves and more glass containers shattered against the concrete basement floor. Blossom watched the fluorescent lights that hung from the ceiling sway back and forth as the earthquake shook for a full minute and half before finally stopping. Once it did, she placed the Antidote X back in its place, along with the vial of Chemical X. She next helped the Professor to his feet, "Careful, Professor, there's glass everywhere now."

The Professor stood, "We haven't had a quake that strong in some time!" he exclaimed as he carefully avoided the shards of glass on the ground, "Thanks for saving our work there, Blossom."

Blossom smiled big, "Of course!"

The Professor began to ascend the stairs to the basement, but was cut off by both Bubbles and Buttercup who descended at the same time. "I was just coming to check on you both. Are you OK?"

"We're fine," Bubbles and Buttercup answered in unison.

"Are you guys OK?" Bubbles added.

"Yeah, just some broken glass. Nothing major," Blossom responded. "How's upstairs?"

"Everything's just a little jumbled I think," Bubbles reported. "Oh my gosh, and we just got back from the mall, too!" Bubbles gasped. "I'm gonna call Robin and see if they're OK!" she said as she started to re-ascend the stairs.

"Well be quick," Blossom said as she placed her hands on her hips. "We better split up and survey the city for damages."

"Aw man, surveying? For what?" Buttercup groaned. "It wasn't that big an earthquake. I'm sure everyone's just fine."

"If things fell down here, Buttercup, then they certainly fell elsewhere. There's probably debris all over the city! That could lead to some unfortunate accidents. It's our duty to make sure the citizens are safe. So come on," Blossom began to climb the basement stairs, "Let's go."

Buttercup rolled her eyes. This was hardly the action she wanted when it came to being a Powerpuff. What Blossom just described was trash pick up. More community service- it was all the Powerpuff Girls did anymore. "Wait. Aren't I grounded?" Buttercup raised an eyebrow and looked to the Professor for some help.

Sensing that his grounded teenager wouldn't enjoy herself on this expedition, the Professor decided it was a good way to add to Buttercup's ongoing punishment. "Actually," he said as he scratched his chin, "Go on, Buttercup. I think you could use a little fresh air."

Buttercup crossed her arms and huffed, "Fine. Let's get this over with."

* * *

Princess sat alone in the grand dining hall of Morbucks Manor. The magnificently sized mahogany dining table could sit up to fifty people comfortably, but it rarely entertained more than two. It was just the young teen and her father, after all, and that was only when her father was actually home and not away on one of his countless business trips. Princess sat at the seat beside the head of the table, and slouched in her purple-cushioned chair as she waited patiently for her father to join her for dinner. He had returned home some several hours ago, but a parade of conference calls kept the man busy in his home office for the entirety of the day.

The heiress sighed heavily as she watched the wax melt slowly on the candles that burned on the centerpiece candelabra. The silver centerpiece was polished so perfectly, she could see her own reflection. She fixed a fallen strand of her straightened red hair, and tucked it back behind her ear. It had been a three hour long appointment in her home salon to have her tight curls relaxed in the style her father liked best for her. Normally, Princess preferred to skip the long salon appointment, and wear her kinky curls naturally, but she wanted to do everything she could think of to make her daddy's return home ideal.

What she secretly hoped for was that if everything was perfect upon her father's return, then maybe he'd actually stay home for more than just the weekend. She even wore the dress her daddy had brought home to her from his latest trip to New York, just to show how appreciative she was. The dress was actually her least favorite color- a bright Tiffany blue. It was also sleeveless- a fashion style she would normally avoid, due to it exposing her back scars. She paired it with a dark purple cardigan sweater to hide her scars, and also wore the pearl necklace and earrings her daddy had gotten her for her birthday earlier that year.

Princess's brown eyes then fell on the plate of roasted chicken in front of her. The young girl hated the stuff, but it was another of Daddy's favorites. Since it was his first dinner home in over two months, Princess was certain he'd appreciate having his favorite meal. Still, the smell alone was enough to irritate the girl's delicate senses. She hated the smell, the texture and the taste, no matter how the bird was prepared. All forms of chicken immediately reminded her of the cheap microwavable chicken nuggets she once had to rely on for daily sustenance in another life. It was so long ago, she hardly remembered anything really about the group home she called home for the first four years of her life. There were flashes of memories like having to share a bunk bed with another child who had a bed-wetting problem- that was particularly traumatic for the girly girl. But Princess rarely thought of the time before. Of course, she was still so young when she was officially adopted as a Morbucks. However, the one strange thing that haunted her the most from the time before was the memory of cold, rubbery and disgusting chicken nuggets. Every day, that's what she and the other foster children had to eat, and so the bird repulsed her for the rest of her life.

Princess immediately corrected her posture as soon as she heard the sound of her father's footsteps echo from down the hallway. She knew it had to be him since it was evening time, and all of the manor staff had retired to the staff lodging outside the main home to enjoy their leisure time. Everyone except Alfred, of course, who was the manor's only 24/7 servant, but Princess had instructed him to take Precious on another walk for the evening.

Her father was a very large and tall man. Despite not being her biological father, he shared the same red-colored hair as Princess. It was the only similarity they shared however. His hair itself was thin, straight and more hair plugs as of late than actual hair. Princess knew him to be fifty-three in age, but she was never allowed to say. He was rather quiet when not performing business, and only spoke when absolutely necessary. When he did speak, his voice was deep and booming, and had a sternness that made everyone shut up and listen, which was something Princess always admired most about him. He was a powerful man- the most powerful in Princess's eyes. Out of all the other children, he chose her to be his heir. Princess always held great pride in that fact. "I like your spunk," he said that day, and Princess would never forget it.

As Princess watched her father enter the room, her eyes grew wide with excitement as she noticed he held something behind his back. The giant man wore a slight smile, and she knew he had a surprise for her. "Good evening, Daddy!" she greeted him with a bright smile.

Her father only smiled as he approached the table. He greeted his daughter with a kiss on her forehead, and took his seat at the head of the table beside her. The envelope he had previously had hidden behind his back, he sat down on the table beside him, and he began to eat his food without a word.

Princess smiled to herself, knowing her father always saved gifts for after dinner. She quietly ate some of her side salad, but pushed aside the chicken on her plate. She watched her father from the corner of her eyes as she attempted to start a conversation with him, "How was New York, Daddy?"

The large man took a moment to rinse down his roasted chicken with a glass of Chardonnay, before answering simply: "Fine."

Princess waited several minutes before trying again, "My summer's been fine, too, Daddy," she said with a weak smile. "Did you see my tutor's given me straight A's? I've been working really hard, you know? Even though it's summer. Just like you always say-"

"Work never stops," the man finished for her.

"Exactly, Daddy," Princess wore a proud smile.

They were quiet again, as Princess waited for her father to finish enjoying his meal. Her brown eyes fell on the envelope her father still had to the side of the table. As the man took the last bite of chicken on his plate, he noticed the teenager's attention on the envelope. He smiled to himself as he picked up the sealed envelope and handed it to his daughter. He sat back and watched the teenager tear open the envelope with excitement.

Princess pulled out two paper tickets from the envelope and eagerly read the event's title. "Daddy, thank you! Tickets to-" her smile instantly faded, "...The Discovery Dome..." She forced herself to smile again, but it was hardly convincing, and her father instantly noticed.

"What's the matter? I thought you would love this! It's for the premiere- a very exclusive event! You always loved those Powerpuff Girls, right? You wanted to be just like them when you were younger!"

Although Princess had tried her best to hide her displeasure with the gift initially, this comment was enough to ignite the anger within her. She shot up from her seat and shouted at her father: " _ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! THEY'RE MY ARCHENEMIES!_ "

The horrified teenager's exclamation echoed throughout the entire manor. Her father sat there with a disapproving look, but said nothing as the girl's emotions continued to spiral before him.

"It's like the BIGGEST THING about me, Daddy! _How could you not remember?_! I fought the Powerpuff Girls, like, _ALL THE TIME!_ They almost _KILLED ME_ during our last fight! Don't you remember _that_?! _Don't you remember the surgery?_! I'm still in physical therapy for crying out loud! Don't you remember having to donate millions to that stupid Villains Ward so that they wouldn't throw me in there?! AND YOU THINK I SOMEHOW LIKE- _NO WAIT **LOVE?**_!- _THE STUPID POWERPUFF GIRLS?! I KNOW YOU'RE NEVER HERE, **BUT HOW COULD YOU NOT REMEMBER THIS ONE THING?**_!"

Princess had screamed so loud, she could feel her vocal chords tear as she shouted that last part. As she forced herself to sit back down in her seat, she saw that her father stared back at her with displeasure. She didn't care though. Normally, she always strived to make him proud, but right then her hatred for the Powerpuff Girls consumed her. She waited for him to say something- anything- but the man never spoke. He simply took the cloth napkin from his lap, wiped his mouth clean, and stood to leave.

As he stood, both he and Princess began to notice the china rattle on the table before them. Princess's eyes fell on the large chandelier that hung from the high ceiling above, and watched it begin to sway violently. She stood from her seat and felt the ground rock beneath her with a heavy jolt. Just as her brain registered that they were experiencing an earthquake, her father grabbed her by her wrist and pulled her beneath the dining room table with him. Princess flinched as she clung to her father, and heard the sound of the crystal chandelier crashing upon the table top. Thankfully, the grand table provided more than enough shelter for the father and daughter as they waited out the earthquake together.

Princess had just been so mad at her father, but all of that was forgotten then. She was just relieved to have him there with her. She might have been crushed by that awful chandelier if it had been any other night when she usually had dinner alone. But Daddy was home, and he was there to protect her, and that was all that mattered. Princess buried her face in her father's chest as the world shook around them, and quietly thanked the earthquake for bringing them together, at least for that moment.

* * *

Blossom had instructed Bubbles to survey the east side of Townsville including the Hills, while Blossom herself would be responsible for Downtown and the north end of the city, which left Buttercup with the west side and coastline. Buttercup was truthfully relieved to have the least populated side of the city as her own duty. Also, the quake was centered on the east side close to Townsville Hills, so that's where there would be the most damage, if any. As Buttercup flew across the city, she saw that everything seemed to be just fine and perfectly in order. She knew Blossom would prefer that she actually check in with some civilians to make certain things were fine, but Buttercup felt that step to be unnecessary. Just as she expected, the earthquake hadn't done much of anything, and she could see that just fine for herself.

As Buttercup finished combing through the beach side district, she made her way inwards towards the center of the city. Blossom had instructed them to reconvene at Townsville Hall in fifteen minutes, to report their findings, but Buttercup had finished her surveillance in five. As the green puff soared towards the capital, she passed by a landmark she hadn't passed by in years. At first, she failed to recognize the newly renovated structure, until she had already zipped past it by miles.

Buttercup halted in the air, with a screeching stop as it dawned on her. The super-powered teenager turned around and looked back at the structure in the distance. Now that she was further, and could only vaguely see the shape of it, she recognized it for sure- Mojo Jojo's observatory. Buttercup hung in the air for a full minute, wondering if her eyes had deceived her when she had flew by the first time. Since the superhero had some time to spare before she had to report back to her sister, she decided to investigate further for herself. It was technically her assigned area, after all.

Buttercup circled back to Mojo's observatory. As just a shadow in the distance, it seemed the same, but as she closed in on her destination, she again questioned what she was seeing.

Just like she had discovered the other night on the east side of Townsville, there was the same Powerpuff themed advertisement on the west side for the Discovery Dome. Only this advertisement wasn't painted on a billboard, but instead it stretched across a giant paper banner that hung along the metal chain-link fencing which ran around the perimeter of what used to be Mojo Jojo's volcano top observatory.

Buttercup landed on the outside of the fence and read the giant colorful print for herself: " _Coming Soon: The Discovery Dome_." She stared for a long time in disbelief. " _This_ is going to be the Discovery Dome?" She shook her head, "No way..."

Buttercup hovered into the air again, and looked beyond the tall construction fence. Where there had been a grassy, park area, there was now just concrete. Buttercup spotted several markers on the floor where the current construction crew seemed to be mapping out some sort of parking structure. Since the grand opening was not more than two months away, Buttercup imagined the parking structure was probably the last thing to be completed. Not spotting anybody within the vicinity, she decided it was safe to trespass. It was well into the evening so all construction workers must have gone home by then.

The teen flew over the tall fence and landed on the other side. Her eyes fell on the volcano mountain that had been the base to Mojo's observatory. The dark rock had been polished to an unnatural shine, and Buttercup wondered if it was actually still the same volcano it used to be as she approached it. She touched the smooth, glistening rock, and still wasn't sure what to make of it. Her green eyes traveled upward, and saw that the massive stair case that led to the top of the observatory had been replaced by a full functional escalator. It was of course, out of order, but that didn't matter to the super-powered teenager. She ascended into the air again, and made her way to the observatory entrance.

As she stood outside the tall, now glass door, she looked at the new exterior walls of the old observatory more closely. The entire structure had once been made of mostly iron, among other metals. The renovations had replaced the entire exterior with brightly colored, crystal-like panels of bright pink, blue and green. Even the telescope which protruded from the side of the structure had been repainted the same bright Powerpuff-themed color scheme.

Buttercup's curiosity begged her to go inside, but she worried about setting of some sort of alarm. With how much trouble she had already been in, she decided it was best to not risk it, and resisted the temptation. Instead, she cupped her hands over her eyes and pressed her face against the entrance's glass doors, and got her best look from the outside.

As she peered inside, she again, could not believe what she was seeing. It was dark, but her vision was well enough to make out that the interior of the observatory had completely been redone. Even in the dark, she could make out the same bright colors painted across virtually every surface. There were hundreds of large, unpacked boxes littered across the floor of the main lobby. The super-powered girl used her x-ray vision to look within the sealed packages and saw that they were filled with merchandise- mainly t-shirts, toys and plushed Powerpuffs.

Buttercup returned to her normal vision and took a step back. "If Mojo were here to see this... he'd lose his mind," she shook her head, still feeling mostly shocked. She had known about the Discovery Dome being built, but she never asked where it would be. She never imagined it to be a renovation of Mojo's old observatory of all places. She supposed it was equipped well enough to be converted into a science museum... but somehow, it still felt wrong.

Buttercup stood outside the building entrance for several minutes in silence. She knew she had to get to City Hall to meet her sisters, but she couldn't tear her green eyes away from what she saw. As she still gazed through the glass door, her mind flashed back to memories of when it was still Mojo's observatory, as she tried her best to ignore all the bright colors and remember it for what it once was. Her green eyes fell on a window above the tall entrance, and she was reminded of the time she accidentally lost a baseball through it when she and her sisters were five. The teen smiled to herself when she remembered how angry she and her sisters had made him that day. He did return the ball, though.

She and her sisters relationship with the villain had always been a complicated one. First time they met Mojo, he practically adopted Buttercup and her sisters while the rest of the city shunned them and their powers. Of course, shortly after they became sworn enemies once the girls discovered that the chimp was completely evil and insane. Then soon after, she and her sisters discovered the shocking revelation that Mojo had played a part in their own creation. The trio never quite agreed on whether or not to consider the chimp a brother or second father, but nonetheless they treated him like a distant, crazy relative... who sometimes could be a lot of fun, but at other times, he wanted to murder them. It was definitely an unconventional family dynamic. But to Buttercup, her life had always been unconventional anyways.

As strange as their history was, Buttercup still couldn't help but feel nostalgic for those times again. She paused in the sky for one final moment, taking pity on what she saw. "Everything's changed," she breathed to herself, still feeling the setting to be too surreal, before she forced herself to finally leave.

When Buttercup arrived to the mayor's office, she found both her sisters waiting for her. Blossom was speaking to Mayor Bellum, and Bubbles stood off to the side holding something wrapped in a towel. Buttercup approached Bubbles, "What's that?" she pointed at the bundle in her sisters arm which seemed to squirm.

"I found him lost on his own at the base of the Hills," Bubbles frowned.

"Him?"

"A cute little Pomeranian. I'm not sure his name. I tried to ask, but," Bubbles struggled to keep the squirming dog contained underneath the towel she had wrapped him inside, "he's really mean." The animal lover sounded clearly heartbroken. Friendships with creatures of all walks of life came to her easily and naturally. It was pretty rare that an animal would ever hate her. However as the tiny dog ripped through the towel, he wasted no time on chomping on the girl's nearest finger. Buttercup didn't have to speak dog like her sister to see that the little guy really wanted nothing to do with Bubbles. "I'm just trying to get you back home!" Bubbles pleaded through watery eyes, as she fought to keep the fluffy dog in her arms.

Buttercup shook her head, "Jeez, you shoulda just left the dumb dog on the streets."

"Well, he has a collar, but he won't let me close enough to read it," Bubbles slowly reached toward the gold-plated ID tag that dangled from the pup's collar, but the dog instantly snapped at her as her finger drew near.

Buttercup rolled her eyes, and quickly yanked the tag off from the collar before the dog could respond. She snorted as she read the name out loud, "Precious. His address is up in the Hills."

"There you are," Blossom said as she joined her sisters. "How was the coastline?" she asked Buttercup.

Buttercup shrugged, "Perfectly fine."

"Good," Blossom smiled. She clapped her hands together, "So," she began, "Downtown was in good shape, too. A tree was uprooted and fell near central park, but I've taken care of it already. Bubbles said the east side had some damages though, right Bubbles?"

"Well, yeah, the market place on Main street for one was pretty messed up. Literally everything fell down inside there-"

" _Ugh_ ," Buttercup interrupted, "That's why they have employees. Please don't tell me we're going to go pick up trash next?"

Blossom placed her hands on her hips, and began to speak but was interrupted by high pitched barking as Precious the Pomeranian still fought against being held. The Pink puff crossed her arms and stared at the toy-sized terror, "OK, first thing's first, actually." She reached for the dog, careful to hold its snapping teeth away from herself as she took the rabid beast away from her sister Bubbles. "This dog needs to get back home." Blossom turned to Buttercup and held the dog out for her to take.

"What?! No fair! Why me?! Bubbles is the one who picked up that crazy thing!"

"It's trash pick up, or dog delivery, Buttercup," Blossom laid out her options. "You're a Powerpuff, and you're going to provide some sort of service today. So which is it going to be?"

Buttercup stared at the snarling dog her sister held in her hands. "Do I at least get to go home after I take the dog back?"

Blossom sighed heavily, "Yes. Take the dog, and go home, Buttercup."

"Deal," Buttercup snatched the dog from her sister, tucked him under her armpit like a football, and disappeared with a flash of green light outside the mayor's office window.

Blossom shook her head, and looked to her blonde sister, "Come on, Bubbles. Let's go help our city."

The angry Pomeranian was scared stiff as the Powerpuff Girl carried him through the sky. Buttercup used the dog's ID tag to locate his home at the very top of Townville Hills, where the largest homes in the city rested. She didn't recognize the address before, but as she approached the large, golden arched gates with two giant golden M's, she knew she had arrived at Morbucks Manor. Buttercup spoke to the now subdued dog she still carried under her armpit, "Of course you're her dog."

The skinny teen stood at the gates and rang the buzzer. A man's voice came through the speaker, "May I help you?"

"Uh yeah, I have your dog," Buttercup answered. "Precious, right? Really fluffy. Really mean."

There was a long pause, followed by an incredibly long sigh from the speaker next. "Yes. That's him. ...One moment, please."

"Someone doesn't sound too thrilled to have you back," Buttercup muttered to the dog next. She moved the dog so that she held him less crudely. Surprisingly, the dog remained tame in her arms as she held him and waited for the gates to open. As the gates parted open, Buttercup walked inside the grounds. In the distance she could see a butler waiting with the door open. A short girl with red hair appeared through the doorway and she shouted the instant she spotted the dog in Buttercup's arms: "PRECIOUS! OH MY GOD, YOU'RE OK!"

The dog immediately began to squirm wildly in Buttercup's arms at the sound of his owner's voice. Buttercup allowed the tiny dog to leap from her arms, and run towards Princess. Buttercup watched as the girl was united with her dog. As soon as Precious reached her, he leapt into her arms and began to lick the girl's face excitedly. Princess giggled as she held onto her tiny companion. Her attention was completely on her precious Precious, and she had failed to see who it was that brought him home. Distracted by the love of her fluffy canine, Princess gave Buttercup a genuine smile as she thanked her, "Thank you for bringing him home! You probably want a reward. Wait here!" she shouted as she ran away with her dog in hand.

Buttercup stood awkwardly at the doorstep. She glanced over to the butler on her left. "Hello, Buttercup," he greeted, emotionless as he spoke.

"Uh. Hey, Alfred," Buttercup waved. "She doesn't recognize me, does she?"

"Apparently not," Alfred answered. He looked to Buttercup with an almost sad expression, "Please make my job easier tonight, and keep it that way."

Before Buttercup could respond, Princess returned with a giant wad of cash in hand. She held it out to Buttercup who stared at the stack of hundreds with wide green eyes. "Here," she insisted as she motioned for Buttercup to take it.

Buttercup grinned as she took the large amount of money in her hands, "Cool, thanks!" she said. She hadn't expected that sort of bonus, but she gladly accepted it.

Before she could put the cash in her pocket, Buttercup heard a deep, booming voice come from the doorway next: "Wait one minute," the giant millionaire stood behind his daughter. He stared down at Buttercup with a raised eyebrow, and looked at the cash in her hands. He then looked down at his daughter, "Princess," he began to lecture, "There's no need to pay her for returning Precious. That is why we pay taxes." He smiled slightly at the green-eyed teenager, "Isn't that right, green one? All a part of the job, hm?"

Princess blinked up at her father, unsure of what he meant. She then watched as Buttercup reluctantly and sadly handed the money back over to her dad who held out his hand.

Her father returned the money to his own wallet, "Thank you for your service." The millionaire nodded at Alfred, who responded by shutting the door on the Powerpuff Girl.

Princess watched her father as he began to ascend the main stairway. "Wait-wait-wait," Princess thought out loud as she hurried after her father, "Who was that? Why would our taxes go to some kid?"

Her father chuckled, "Oh, I can't ever remember their names. The green one."

Princess stopped in her tracks, but her father continued to climb the stairs. "Wait. That was _Buttercup_?!" Princess shouted.

"That's the name! Buttercup!" her father answered from the top of the stairs.

Princess shook away her surprise and continued after her father again, "You mean to tell me, there was a Powerpuff Girl on my doorstep and we just let her get away?!" Princess ran after her father, stopping in front of his path. " _Daddy_! I just finished telling you over dinner how much I hate them!"

Her dad only shook his head as he continued to walk around his daughter and towards his home office at the end of the hall.

Princess only grew more offended by this, and ran to stop in front of him once more. "DADDY!" she shouted again, "DON'T YOU GET IT?! I HAVE TO DESTROY THE POWERPUFF GIRLS!"

Finally, the large man's patience was spent. He raised his voice as he began to lecture Princess sternly, "Daughter, let me share with you how things work in this city. We Morbucks have always been here, and we own most of the real estate in Townsville. Whether you like them or not, those super-powered girls have been the best thing for business. Now, I don't care what sort of childish feud you had with those girls in grade school, but it's gone too far. You want to destroy the Powerpuff Girls? Then you'll be destroying your financial future. How does that sound?"

Princess stared back at him in disbelief. "But... Daddy, they almost _killed_ me! Don't you _care_?! Whose more important to you? Those stupid Powerpuffs or me?!" She watched as her father reached the door to his office, and entered without another word, or any sort of acknowledgement.

Princess stood there for a long time, unable to move, as she stared at the shut door to Daddy's office. She felt strangely numb, and her mind drew a complete blank, as something inside her broke. The young girl trembled as she stood there in silence, breathing heavily through her nose. She felt her cheeks begin to sting from the tears that started to stream down her face. Princess wiped the tears from her eyes, and then felt the familiar rush of rage begin to surface within her.

Without thinking, the young heiress tore open the doors to her father' office and marched inside. Once inside, she was frozen once again as her eyes fell on the collection of blueprints littered across the entire office. All of the prints were labeled with " _Discovery Dome._ " As the irony struck her, Princess couldn't help but start to laugh as something else snapped within her yet again, "You're building the Discovery Dome, Daddy?" she laughed even more. "Of _course_ , you are!"

Her father only stood there as he watched his daughter laugh her way back out of his office. Screaming, then crying, then laughing- he had no idea what to make of the girl's strange behavior. The millionaire shook his head, and sighed deeply to himself as he lowered himself into his oversized desk chair. He had no time for teenage drama, and began to turn his attention back to his work. He opened his laptop computer, and had just finished entering his password when the doors to his office swung open yet again.

Princess kicked the doors of the office in, and entered with her golden pistol pointed first. Before her father could say anything, she silenced him with a single bullet between his eyes. As soon as the bullet struck the man in the head, the walls of the office were instantly sprayed with blood and brain matter. It was the sudden wet slap of her father's blood across her face that snapped the crazed girl from her murderous state.

Her brown eyes softened immediately as she realized what she had done. She dropped the gun in her hands, and rushed to her daddy's side, but he was already gone.


	4. Horses

**Villain: Redux**

* * *

A/N: Hello, everyone~ I just wanted to give you all a heads up for the next update. Since we are nearing the ending of Part One, please forgive me if I need just a little extra time finishing everything up. Originally, my outline was set for 6 chapters in this first part, but I'm considering combining what I have for 5 and 6, and just ending Part One on the next chapter... maybe. I AM SO SPLIT. So since I can't make up my mind, I've decided I'm going to just write the rest out completely and just see how that goes, and make a decision on how to divide the chapters (if at all) once Part One is complete.

Check out my tumblr for any progress updates (yayninjabob dot tumblr dot com). But next chapter I'm guessing will be posted in about 6-8 weeks, depending on how things go. Actually, Chapter 5 was the first thing I sat down to write when I started playing with the idea of possibly doing this rewrite. So since I'm personally really excited about those events, maybe I'll be able to surprise myself and get it done sooner.

Also, while I'm here, thanks again you guys so much for reading! I am so excited to be working on this rewrite, and I wasn't sure what kind of audience it might have. I hope you're enjoying the story so far. And of course super thanks to those of you who are reviewing! I know these chapters are pretty long, so the fact that you take time to review after reading- I can't tell you how much I appreciate it!

Hope you all enjoy chapter 4!

-Bobby

* * *

**Part I: Remote Control**

**Chapter 4 - Horses  
**

Blossom watched the volume of the small glass container rise by just another millimeter as the Professor carefully transferred the metallic, black substance from one vial to the next. Her father sighed deeply as he took a step away from their day's work. The amount of Chemical X they had managed to create was still nowhere near sufficient enough for what he ultimately needed. Blossom frowned, recognizing the look of disappoint on his face. The scientist removed his lab goggles, and massaged his temple as he returned to his work desk to begin logging their day's progress on his computer.

Blossom quietly hovered over to her own work station in the Professor's lab. She lowered herself onto her chair and opened her own laptop computer. As she waited for her system to boot up, her pink eyes fell on the last small heap of cinnabar x. There was maybe just about fourteen or fifteen grams left of the rare black ore which was central to the current task at hand. It had been about two weeks since the father-daughter duo had begun their Chemical X refinery project, and due to their dwindling resources, it seemed that it would soon be coming to an unsuccessful end. Fourteen or fifteen grams could easily be refined in another day or two, Blossom imagined. Then what?

The cellphone in the her pants pocket began to buzz, and her pink eyes widened as she looked at the caller ID. She answered eagerly, rising from her chair with a jump, "Yes, Mayor?"

Professor Utonium peered over his computer monitor once he heard his daughter address the mayor over the phone. He waved for Blossom's attention and then whispered to her: "Ask her about Monster Isle."

Blossom held her cell to her ear with one hand and gave the Professor a thumbs up in response with her other hand.

"Hello, Blossom," Mayor Bellum said on the other end. "How are you?"

"I'm great, Mayor. Thanks for asking. How are you? Can I be of any help?"

"Fine, thank you. No, no help necessary. I'm actually just calling you about that conversation we had the day of the earthquake. You know, about you girls wanting to redesign your uniforms."

"Oh, the uniforms?" Blossom frowned a little. She had been hoping the mayor was calling with more important matters. "Of course. What about them?"

"Well, I mentioned your idea to our PR team, and they loved it! They actually were able to get some wonderful sponsorships who all have come together to design you girls something fantastic! I think you're really going to love it!"

"Oh," Blossom paused, a little taken aback by what Mayor Bellum was saying, "Well, I thought that we'd be designing the uniforms ourselves, actually. You know, my sisters and I."

"Well, of course, if that is what you girls prefer. But would you just come take a look at what they have?"

"Yeah, I guess we can do that," Blossom answered, before quickly changing the subject: "Oh, Mayor Bellum, can I ask if there's been any news on the Professor's request for excavation on Monster Isle?"

"Hm?" Bellum answered. "Oh, yes, you can tell him I got the good news just earlier today that his request has been approved."

"That's great!" Blossom grinned big as she showed the Professor another thumbs up.

"Will you let him know that I can go over the details with him later?"

"Of course! Mayor, thank you! You have no idea how low on resources he is. When can he meet with you?"

"Well, I'll be here at the office for at least a couple more hours. Why don't you come down and see the uniforms tonight? The Professor can come too, and we can discuss things then."

Blossom couldn't hide the excitement in her voice as she replied, "Yes, of course! We'll be there ASAP, Mayor!"

Bellum chuckled on the other end, "Great. See you both soon then, Blossom."

"See you soon!" Blossom hung up her call and immediately jumped with joy, as she beamed big at her dad, "The mayor said your request was approved, Professor!"

Professor Utonium let out a giant sigh of relief, as he fell back into desk chair. "Oh, thank goodness." He smiled a little. "I hope we'll be able to get in there soon, then."

"She said we can meet with her now about it, and she'll go over the details with you," Blossom shared.

Professor Utonium stood from his chair again, and straightened his black neck tie. He reached in his pants pocket for his car keys, and grasped them firmly. "Well, let's head over then, shall we?"

Blossom gave a single nod and a smile before quickly zipping to the other end of the room to hit the laboratory's light switch. She waited for the Professor to reach the stair case safely before flipping the switch and following after him. As the two of them entered the living room area, Blossom could hear both of her sisters shouting at one another as they played a video game together.

"Buttercup, you're cheating!"

"Nuh uh!"

"Yeah huh!"

Blossom watched her sisters battle it out with their game controllers. Both girls sat cross legged on the floor of the living room, with their blue and green eyes narrowed as they focused on their respective race cars on the television screen. Bubbles giggled as she used one hand to try and block Buttercup's view of the screen.

Buttercup swatted her sister's hand away and rose to her knees, leaning in with her controller as she laughed, "Hey! Whose the cheater now, huh?"

Bubbles laughed again, "You cheated first!"

"What? Just 'cause I'm about to win, doesn't mean I cheated!"

"Like heck you're about to win!"

"Oh yeah? Check this shit out!"

"Buttercup," the Professor crossed his arms, "Language, please," he lectured. "You just got your video game privileges back yesterday. Don't make me regret it."

Buttercup's attention never left the game as she answered, "Sorry, Profess-" before the tomboy could finish, her apology was cut short by the sight of her sister's race car ramming her own off the race track. " _Dammit_!"

The Professor shook his head, but chose to ignore his daughter's cursing. "I'll be in the car," he said as he left.

Blossom stayed and watched her two siblings laugh as they playfully shoved each other back and forth. "Mayor Bellum called," Blossom tried to share with them, but both girls had their attention still on the game.

"Here I come, Bubble-butt!"

"I don't think so, Booger-head!"

Blossom placed her hands on her hips and spoke louder, " _Mayor Bellum called_. She wants to meet with us."

Finally, Bubbles paused their game. Buttercup immediately protested, "Hey!"

"The mayor called," Blossom repeated for the third time so it could register at last with her green-eyed sister.

"What does she want?" Buttercup tossed her game controller down with an annoyed look.

"She said she has some uniform designs to share, or something like that," Blossom shrugged.

"I thought we were designing them ourselves," Bubbles pointed out.

"Uh, yeah," Buttercup added, "What the hell, Blossom?"

"I know, OK," Blossom sighed, "She just wants us to come take a look. So let's just go, and we can just say 'Thanks, but no thanks,' OK?"

"Can't you just tell her that on our behalf, Leader-Girl?" Buttercup reached for her game controller again, "We're in the middle of a game." The tomboy unpaused the game.

"Hey!" Bubbles shouted at Buttercup as she stumbled to pick up her own controller again, "You didn't tell me you hit play, Cheater!"

Blossom stood there for a moment, feeling annoyed by both her siblings childish behavior. She took a deep breath, "Fine," she said before leaving. "Be back, I guess," she muttered to herself as she stepped onto their home's front porch. As she closed the front door behind her, she was surprised to see their neighbor Robin walking up their driveway. The brunette was wearing her white karate uniform, which was one of Blossom's favorite looks on her. Her long brown hair was tied back, and her bangs pinned back, too, with a teal colored barrette which matched her eyes.

"Hey!" Robin waved with a big smile as she approached their front porch. "You going somewhere?"

"Hey," Blossom smiled back. "Yeah, the Professor and I have a meeting with the mayor. What are you doing here?"

"I'm on my way to karate class, but first I wanted to drop this off for Buttercup," Robin reached behind her green belt and retrieved a small multi-colored bracelet, "I made it for her."

Blossom felt her smile fade, but forced it back before Robin could notice. She took the bracelet from her and looked at the simple string of assorted gems, woven together with a simple black chord. "A bracelet?"

"I know Buttercup's not much for jewelry," Robin said with a giggle, "But I was reading this stuff the other day about crystal healing. See," Robin paused to point at the green colored gems, "I used mostly aventurine. Not only is it green, but it's also supposed to promote emotional tranquility. Cool, huh?"

Blossom handed the crystal beaded bracelet back to her friend, "That's so thoughtful," Blossom forced herself to smile again. "It's really beautiful. I'm sure Buttercup is going to love it."

Robin's cheeks became flushed a bright pink, in a sort of bashfulness Blossom had never seen on the girl before then. "Well, have fun at your meeting, Blossom," Robin smiled shyly.

Blossom smiled weakly, "Thanks." As she stepped off the porch steps, she glanced over her shoulder and watched Robin disappear into their home. As the door shut behind her, Blossom felt her heart plummet within her chest.

As Professor Utonium started the engine to their family station wagon, he watched as Blossom seemed to drag her feet as she made her way over to the car. "Everything alright, Sweetie?" he asked as Blossom sat down in the passenger seat.

"Yeah," Blossom answered simply as she snapped on her seat belt.

"You look a little down. Are you sure you're OK?"

"I'm fine Professor," Blossom answered, but kept her gaze fixed on her view from the passenger side window as they left their quiet neighborhood and drove towards the city.

"I thought you were excited to see the mayor?"

"Sure. I guess I am."

Professor Utonium glanced at his daughter and could tell there was definitely something up. He pressed on, "So?"

"So nothing, Professor!" the teenager snapped back, "I said I'm fine!"

Professor Utonium's eyes widened, but he remained quiet as they pulled to a stop sign. He turned his head to look at Blossom, and found her with her hand cupped over her mouth, and her pink eyes wide. She lowered her hand, "Professor, I- I'm sorry." She began to wring her hands nervously, and felt her palms begin to sweat. "I didn't mean to yell at you," she said as she shook her head. "I-I just... I just..."

Professor Utonium gave her a reassuring smile, "It's OK, Blossom."

They drove in silence for several minutes.

Blossom continued to squirm nervously in her seat. She felt terrible for snapping at the Professor like she did, but she had an idea as to why. As much as she tried to ignore it, there was a constant nagging from her subconscious reminding her: She was in love with her best friend. And now to Blossom, it seemed almost definite that her best friend wanted her sister, and not her. Why else would Robin blush like she did when Blossom mentioned Buttercup? Even more obvious- Why else would she go out of the way to make such a personal and meaningful gift for Buttercup? Robin never made anything for her. If her crush had made a bracelet like that for her, Blossom would cherish it forever. Could Buttercup even appreciate such a gift? She'd probably just take it for granted.

Just like she took the Professor's kindness for granted. He had caved and gave her her video games back the other day. Did she thank him? No. And Bubbles' constant doting on Buttercup was no different. Making Buttercup her favorite meals every day, and choosing to stay home with her instead of enjoying their last days of summer outside with friends. It was Bubbles who convinced the Professor to change his mind on the video games. Bubbles insisted that she deserved it, but how? Buttercup just kept getting meaner, and everyone just kept treating her nicer. The worse she behaved, the more everyone seemed to reward her for it. It wasn't fair.

"You know," Professor Utonium began quietly after a while, "You don't have to share if you don't want to, but I wish you would tell me what's going on... You've been a little... off... lately."

Blossom frowned. She felt guilty. She wasn't good at bottling her emotions, and it didn't surprise her that even the Professor could tell. Normally, she had no issue talking things out with the Professor. But he was still her dad, and for the teenager, it felt awkward to share such things with him. Blossom bit her lip and hesitated, "Professor... have you ever liked someone, but... they like somebody else?"

"Oh," the scientist was surprised by the question. "Well, I'm assuming by 'like' you mean romantically?"

Blossom nodded, still biting her lip nervously. "Yeah. That's what I mean."

Professor Utonium couldn't help but smile. "Well," he began. "I have never been very lucky when it came to romance. So yes, I've definitely been rejected a few times throughout my life." He chuckled a little. He paused to think about the initial question, "Well, when I was about fifteen, my older brother had this girlfriend. Oh boy, was I crazy about her!"

Blossom's eyes widened and she immediately turned in her seat, "Really?! What happened?"

"Well, the two of them dated for about three years. I don't know why it didn't work out between them, honestly. But the whole time they were together, I secretly prayed that she'd dump him, and take a second look at me."

"She never did?"

"Well, no."

"But did you ever try to tell her how you felt?"

"Oh, goodness, no!" Professor Utonium laughed a little. "I was way too much of a coward. Besides the fact that she was with my brother, of course."

"Did you ever think that you'd be better for her than your brother was?"

"Oh, all the time."

Blossom frowned and reclined in her seat. Somehow, she felt worse.

"In my case, it was just best to let it go," Professor continued. "I never had a shot, anyway. But you're young, Sweetie. If it doesn't work out with this person, I'm sure you'll have a new crush eventually who will like you just as much as you like them. Besides, who wouldn't like you? You're smart. You're beautiful. You're a Powerpuff Girl!" he glanced at his daughter and tried to give her a reassuring smile.

"Thanks, Professor," the redhead was quiet with her response. She crossed her arms, and returned her gaze to the passenger side window. They were on the freeway now which lead into Downtown. The four lanes of traffic were cramped with cars from the evening rush hour. It was only several more miles until their exit, but the slow crawl of the cars ahead of them would have Blossom and her father stuck in traffic for at least another half hour.

As their vehicle crept along the highway, Blossom's eyes fell on the slow approaching billboard that hung in the sky which displayed herself and her sisters. "I am a Powerpuff Girl," she thought to herself, "But so is she." Blossom frowned to herself, allowed her head to fall back against the headrest of her seat, and closed her eyes. She was trying her best to ignore the steadily climbing nausea she felt as jealousy continued to consume her.

Instead, all she could think about was Robin and her sister. They were probably together right then. At least Robin was on her way to karate practice and wouldn't be there for long. At least she could rest easy knowing she wouldn't have to return home to the sight of them together, without her. Not like the other night- the night of the earthquake. Buttercup had been able to dodge her Powerpuff responsibilities, yet again, and got home hours before both her sisters. Blossom had spent the entire evening making sure the city of Townsville was as good as new after that Earthquake. But Buttercup? She got to go home early. Not only that, she got to spend the evening hanging out alone with Robin. Sure, it was a nice reward helping the citizens of the city. But the next day, what did the news articles read? "Thank you, Powerpuff Girls." Not, "Thanks, Blossom and Bubbles." That is what they should have said. How was it that Buttercup got all the glory and credit of a Powerpuff Girl without actually doing the work? And in the end, she'd also get the girl?

For the remainder of the car ride, that's where Blossom's mind remained stuck. The more she thought about Buttercup reaping the benefits of heroism without the effort, the more it annoyed her.

City Hall was pretty quiet when the Professor and Blossom arrived. It was already close to seven in the evening, and the majority of the government employees had gone home for the day. Mayor Bellum was a committed politician, however, and Blossom was not surprised to find the tall, auburn haired woman busy at work behind her desk upon their arrival. Her devotion to the city was something that Blossom always admired greatly. In fact, Blossom believed before anyone that Bellum would make a great mayor one day. She had been there to see how Bellum begun her career in politics as young secretary. Sure, the credit always went to the mayor, but Blossom could see for herself that it was Sara Bellum who held the city together from behind the scenes. When Bellum announced her candidacy four years ago, Blossom was her biggest supporter. She believed in her. She promised to make Townsville safe, and with the help of Professor Utonium and Blossom leading the Powerpuff Girls, they all succeeded. Not many politicians fulfill their campaign promises, but Bellum managed to have Townsville villain-free and monster-free before the end of her first year in office.

It was re-election season once more, and the politician's office was cluttered with piles campaign posters and signs, as well as boxes upon boxes of fliers, door-hangers and pamphlets, all freshly printed and waiting for distribution. As she and the Professor waited patiently for the mayor to conclude her current phone call, Blossom curiously took a brightly colored, glossy pamphlet from a nearby box to read for herself.

Mayor Bellum ended her call and stood from behind her desk, "Good evening, Blossom, Professor Utonium," she gave them each a smile and a nod as she walked them. "Thank you so much for coming."

"Our pleasure," Blossom straightened her posture as the tall woman approached. "Say, do you think you'll need some extra help getting these out?" she waved the brochure in her hands.

"That would be wonderful, Blossom," Mayor Bellum said. "I'll have Kenny give you a call soon with our next canvassing date. Maybe you girls can distribute door hangers for us?"

Blossom smirked, "Absolutely. I'm sure we can hit every door in the city in an hour if all three of us split up."

Bellum simply smiled as she returned to behind her desk. She reached for something under her desk as she sat down.

Blossom watched as Bellum sat a bright red gift bag on her desk, and motioned for Blossom. Blossom took the bag and peered inside, but it was difficult to see what was under all the layers of bright pink tissue paper.

"Why don't you use the conference room to get changed?" Bellum smiled at the teenager as she fumbled with the packaging. She then turned to the Professor next and waved her hand towards the chair across from her desk, "Please, Professor, let's talk."

Blossom glanced over her shoulder at the double doors to the conference room, "Be right back, I guess," she smiled at the Professor before she left.

Professor Utonium sat down across from the mayor. The mayor's bright green eyes were on Blossom as she watched her disappear into the conference room. She wore an eager expression as she looked at the Professor again, "Oh, I can't wait for you to see this!"

Professor Utonium smiled politely, but then cleared his throat before speaking, "You said we'd be able to talk about-"

"Of course- Monster Isle." Mayor Bellum retrieved a sealed manila envelope from her top desk drawer and slid it across her desk towards the Professor. "The approval came through this morning. Forgive me for forgetting to alert you, but when I read the project date, I assumed there was time."

Professor read the date in bold for himself, "Next _October_?" he shook his head, "Mayor, truthfully, I was hoping to begin excavation much sooner than that."

"How soon?"

"Well, I was hoping for more like next month? Certainly not next year!"

Mayor Bellum clasped her hands together and rested them on her desk, "A month?" she repeated in disbelief. "Professor, forgive me, but why the sudden urgency? You only just asked for permission just several weeks ago."

"Yes, I understand that-"

"It wasn't easy getting your proposal through the board this fast," she continued to speak with authority. "And I can assure you, I pulled every favor I had to expedite your request."

"Thank you, Mayor," the Professor smiled weakly. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to sound ungrateful." He paused before choosing his words more carefully. "Is there any way we can at least set an exploratory mission sooner? Just so that I can confirm there is indeed more cinnabar x left to be mined on the island. Really, my current research is at a standstill until I know what sort of resources I may or may not have."

Bellum sighed. "I'll see what I can do, but it won't be easy, Professor. It's Monster Isle. The beasts on that island have been contained, but they are very much still there. We, of course, have our semi-annual airstrikes, which has reduced the island population considerably, but the density of the island's jungle has been too much. In order to get a crew safely on that island, we need to clear the area of all potential hazards. Frankly, it's going to take time. Perhaps I can call for increased airstrikes, but I'm not sure. I will try, but really, a month's time is unrealistic, Professor."

Professor Utonium nodded slowly, "Thank you, Mayor. I understand."

Bellum and the Professor heard a click from the double doors to their left, and saw Blossom reemerge from the conference room. She wore the new uniform which had been designed for her- a carnation pink, sleeveless leotard with simple black trimming and a matching ruffled skirt that was attached. It definitely shared the same spirit as their original uniforms, even adorning the single black stripe across the abdomen. However, it was a more mature look. Unlike their previous dresses, which were pretty shapeless, this new uniform was made of spandex and hugged her figure tightly. Blossom appreciated the thought that went behind including shorts to be worn underneath, but truthfully, the dainty skirt was a little too short for the tall girl's liking, as it made her already long legs look even lengthier.

Bellum clapped for the super heroine as she floated over to where she and the Professor sat. "Oh my goodness, you look amazing! Doesn't she look great, Professor?"

The Professor smiled, too, "Yes, she does."

Blossom smiled weakly, "Thanks," she said politely, "But I doubt Buttercup's going to be on board with this," Blossom flipped her skirt a little and laughed.

Bellum laughed, too, "Our PR team is way ahead of you, Blossom! They thought the toughest fighter would prefer less frills and were sure to give those notes to the designer." Blossom watched as the mayor retrieved a green colored bag next and held it out for her to take.

Blossom pulled the green colored uniform from its bag and held it up. It was the same design, without the skirt, but still it had very short green shorts. "Huh," Blossom shrugged as she returned the clothing to the bag. "It's not bad, but I'm not sure, Mayor-"

"Please, just take them home to your sisters and think about it?" Bellum insisted, "If we go with these sponsored designs, it could mean extra revenue for the city."

"Really?"

"Oh, absolutely."

Blossom paused for a moment as she considered this. Her eyes fell on her reflection she could faintly see in the glass of the windows across the room. On second thought, the uniforms weren't too bad. "Well, if it would help the city..." she began hesitantly, "I guess the three of us could discuss it."

"That would be wonderful, Blossom!" Bellum smiled wide and her bright green eyes glimmered as she spoke, "If anyone could get your sisters on board, it's you."

* * *

Bubbles smiled to herself as she ran her fingers through the stiff, scruffy light grey coat of her coyote friend. She gently scratched behind the young pup's ears as she watched him devour the last bit of kibble and lick the metal bowl clean. As he finished, he licked his lips and gave Bubbles an appreciative howl and wagged his tail. Bubbles giggled as the skinny coyote licked her face once before he trotted across their backyard and leapt swiftly over the fence. She knelt down to retrieve the empty dog dish, and waved at her friend as she watched him travel up the hillside in the distance, "Stay safe out there, Victor," she smiled as she watched him leave.

"You know if you keep feeding those coyotes, they're just gonna keep coming back," Buttercup spoke as she joined her sister on their back porch.

"So?" Bubbles shrugged as she stashed the dog bowl underneath the space behind the last step on their porch. "They have to eat, Buttercup."

"You don't think one day the Professor might notice you're spending your allowance on dog food, when we don't have a dog?"

"I keep the bag hidden under the porch," Bubbles smiled as she joined her sister at the top of the steps. "And I only feed them when he's in the lab or not home."

"Wouldn't they'd rather have something bloodier than kibble?" Buttercup smirked. "The pet store also sells rabbits, you know."

Bubbles immediately gave Buttercup a fast hard punch on her shoulder and glared at her.

Buttercup laughed, as she rubbed the spot on her shoulder, "Hey, take it easy, I'm joking."

Bubbles frowned a little as she lowered herself onto the steps and sat down, propping her elbows on her knees and resting her chin on her hands. Her blue eyes were still on the grassy hills behind their home. It was dark already, and late into the evening. She wondered where Victor went at night, and if he had some place warm to sleep. She sighed quietly, "His parents died last week."

"Whose?" Buttercup plopped down beside her sister and raised a confused eyebrow.

"Victor's."

"Who?"

Bubbles looked at her sister, "The coyote."

"Oh," Buttercup scratched her head, "Well, that sucks."

Bubbles sighed again and tried to push the depressing thoughts from her mind. Victor wasn't the only coyote friend she had made. There was Henry, Phyllis, Tina and Jennifer- all of which lost most of their kin, too. Starvation had recently become an epidemic among the coyotes of Townsville. Bubbles saw it more and more, but what could she do about it? Sneaking out to feed any nearby scavengers was the only solution she had for the time being.

"That's a nice bracelet that Robin gave you," Bubbles decided to change the subject.

Buttercup lifted her left wrist to look at the crystal beaded band, "Yeah..." she said as she lowered her hand again. She glanced at her sister, "Hey can I ask you something?"

"'Course."

Bubbles watched her sister curiously as she played with the bracelet around her wrist, spinning it round and round, "So... has Robin ever mentioned anything to you about... liking girls... or liking anyone? You know. Anything like that?"

Bubbles shrugged. "Not to me." She raised an eyebrow, "Why?"

Buttercup shook her head. "Forget it."

Bubbles folded her arms and gave her sister a serious look, " _Buttercup_."

"What?"

"You and Blossom promised each other-"

"Hey, I know what we promised, OK?" Buttercup interrupted her, "Jeez, it was just a question, alright?"

"Alright," Bubbles sighed. "Don't have to get so defensive. I was just reminding you."

"Well, I remember, OK?"

"Remember what?" Blossom asked as she stepped outside.

Bubbles and Buttercup turned and looked over their shoulders to see Blossom had returned home from her meeting with the mayor. Their redheaded sister stood there, still wearing the uniform she had been gifted by the mayor. In her right hand she held a blue gift bag for Bubbles, and her left a green bag for Buttercup. Bubbles shot up immediately with a loud cheer, "Blossom you look amazing!"

Blossom smiled, "Aw, thanks, Bubbles." She held out the blue bag for her sister to take. "Here's yours."

Buttercup stood and crossed her arms. "Oh no, are you serious? What the hell happened to 'thanks, but no thanks?'"

"Relax, Buttercup," Blossom shoved the green bag against her sister's chest, forcing her to take it, "Yours doesn't have a skirt."

"That's not the point," Buttercup glared at her sister. She then looked to Bubbles who held the new baby blue uniform against her body and twirled around, completely won over by the feminine design.

"I'm going to go try it on!" Bubbles announced as she disappeared with a flash of bright blue light.

Buttercup rolled her eyes and returned her attention to Blossom. "You said we'd get to decide this together."

"Nothing's decided yet," Blossom said with a shrug. "I told Bellum we'd think about it."

Buttercup shook her head as she laughed a little. "Look at you. That's not your style, Red. Why didn't you just say no?"

Blossom crossed her arms, "If you wanted to be there, you could have."

Buttercup only rolled her eyes in response as she dug through the bag in her hands to retrieve the lime green, spandex uniform. The teen took one look at the slim-fitted garment, before tossing it in her sisters direction with a laugh. "You gotta be kidding me."

Blossom caught the uniform and glared at Buttercup. "Will you at least just try it on first?"

"No way."

"Come on, Buttercup," Blossom rolled her eyes. "They went out of their way to give you your own unique design. I know it's tight, but," Blossom held the bright green outfit against Buttercup, trying to imagine how it'd look on her, "Maybe we can alter it a little-"

"I said _no way!_ " Buttercup ripped the clothing from her sister's hands and tossed it forcefully onto the ground.

Just in time, a flash of blue light cut between the two bickering siblings. "How do I look?" Bubbles asked as she modeled her new uniform with a twirl.

"You look like you're on your way to compete in a figure skating competition," Buttercup scoffed. "Both of you do."

Blossom shot Buttercup a disapproving stare as she picked up the fallen green uniform. Buttercup was getting on her last nerve, but she swallowed her anger, and turned and smiled at Bubbles. "I think you look great, Bubbles."

"Thanks, Blossom," Bubbles grinned.

Buttercup gave Blossom a dirty look as she pushed past her and Bubbles, ensuring that she bumped each girl hard with her shoulders as she left. She said nothing as she stomped inside, slamming the door behind her with such force it rattled their home's windows. As the door slammed shut, Blossom clenched the green uniform she still held in her hands. Her pink eyes narrowed with determination as she began to march after her.

Bubbles stopped her sister immediately, grabbing her by the wrist, "Blossom, don't."

Blossom stopped and blinked down at her shorter sister, "Don't what?"

"Don't push her," Bubbles spoke softly. "The Professor said-"

"I know what the Professor said," Blossom interrupted with frustration in her voice as she pulled away from her sister's hold. Her pink eyes softened when she saw her sister staring back at her with concern. Blossom frowned. "It's getting late," she sighed heavily as she rung the green colored uniform in her hands, "I'm off to bed."

"But it's barely eight," Bubbles frowned, but her sister never replied.

Bubbles watched as Blossom walked into their home through the back porch entrance. The blue Powerpuff stood there for a moment, feeling somewhat abandoned by both her siblings. Her blue eyes fell on the swing set in their home's backyard. She slowly floated over to it and sat down on the middle seat, and let her feet dangle as she stared back at their home.

She could see both her sisters shadows moving in their respective rooms through the circular windows above. They were each getting ready for bed. Bubbles sighed heavily as she begun to wind the swing she sat on, twisting the suspended seat's metal-linked chains, as she turned clockwise. As the swing set's chains became intertwined tighter and tighter, Bubbles thought about the day and wondered where things went wrong.

She and Buttercup were having a pretty fun day together, and Buttercup had been in a pretty good mood until just five minutes ago. So what happened? The uniforms? What a stupid thing to fight about. All their fights were stupid. For a couple of supposed geniuses, why couldn't they see that?

Bubbles had wound the swing as tight as it would go. She let go, and the blue Powerpuff spiraled round and round in her seat. Her baby blue uniform's ruffled skirt fluttered in the air as she twirled. As she came to a stop, her blue eyes fell on her sisters' bedroom windows again. She watched as her sister Buttercup's room went dark for the night, followed shortly after by Blossom's.

Bubbles frowned. Maybe she should have gone with Blossom to the mayor's instead of staying home with Buttercup. After all, Blossom had been so busy in the lab with the Professor as of late, Bubbles hadn't seen much of her over the last two weeks. She had been spending most of her time with Buttercup. Maybe Blossom was mad at her for that?

Bubbles began to spin in her seat again, as she pondered the fact that she had to divide her time between both her sisters as of late. It never used to be this way. Not long ago, things were different. Last summer, around that time, they planned a summer beach day together. The three of them even successfully convinced the Professor to skip work, too. Now, their summer was almost over and it had been the worse one yet. Bubbles couldn't think of a single day the three of them spent together other than their birthday, and that was a day that certainly ended in disaster. Sure, Blossom and Buttercup butted heads a lot, but the tension between them had never been this strong. What happened?

As the swing set's chains clinked to a stop, Bubbles faced the direction of their neighbor Robin's home. Bubbles frowned as the answer dawned on her then- Robin. Even though her sisters had sworn to each other they'd drop their crush on the girl, neither of them had. That had to be it. Something was going to have to give, and if both her sisters continued to pretend like nothing was wrong... it wasn't going to end well.

Bubbles released the tension on her swing, and spun freely once more. As the teenager came to stop, her eyes fell once more on her sister's bedroom windows. A sly smile swept her face as an idea came to her. Bubbles leapt from her seat with spunk in her step. She went inside, and kept quiet as she ascended the stairs to their home's second floor. She first used her x-ray vision to check on Buttercup, who was already asleep. Next room was Blossom's, and her x-ray vision also showed her to be fast asleep as well.

"Perfect," Bubbles grinned to herself as she quietly crept into her own bedroom. The young teenager quickly changed into a pair of sleeping shorts and a tank top, and climbed into bed for the night.

Bubbles closed her eyes as her head hit her pillow and breathed deeply. It was difficult to fall asleep when she wasn't even tired, but she was determined to execute her plan, and in order to do that, she needed to be asleep. If Buttercup and Blossom couldn't talk it out in the real world, then she'd get them to talk somewhere where "energy meltdowns" weren't a concern.

It wasn't long before the faint sound of distant shores filled Bubbles' ears. As she slowly opened her eyes, she saw a seagull flying high above in a bright blue sky. The teenager, dressed still in her pajamas, sat up from where she lay on the sand and looked around the beach. She was dreaming, but of what?

Bubbles stood and shook the sand off herself as she began to walk down towards the ocean water. In the ocean, there were large groups of people swimming, surfing, and playing in the water. Along the shore, Bubbles could see the beach was crowded with hundreds of happy beach-goers. There were kids building sand castles, families barbecuing, and teenagers playing volleyball. The weather was hot, but the ocean breeze was cool. It was a beautiful summer day.

There was no telling what sort of dream they'd end up in when the girls went to bed at night. Some nights were fantasies, and some nights were nightmares. That night, Bubbles dreamed of a memory.

"Family beach day," Bubbles smiled to herself as she ascended into the air. Sure enough, she spotted her family in the distance. The blue superhero zipped over for a closer look.

Bubbles stood at the shore and watched her younger self and her sisters play together in the water. Her twelve-year-old self looked so happy as she dove into the waves of the ocean, chasing after both her sisters. Both Buttercup and Blossom attacked her younger self with a barrage of splashing as she swam up to them. Bubbles couldn't help but grin as she watched the memory play out. "This is _exactly_ what we need back," Bubbles proclaimed to herself.

As much as she would enjoy staying behind to relive such a happy memory, Bubbles was on a mission. The young girl lowered herself back onto the sand, and lay flat on her back. She closed her eyes and shut out the dream world around her. Still, in the distance she could hear the voice of her sister Buttercup shouting, but this was good. She could use that. She focused only on her sister's voice, and only that. Soon after, Bubbles could feel the sand around her being blown away by a sharp wind that rushed past her with increasing velocity. There was nothing around her, but emptiness as she fell from her own dreamland and into the next.

It was a difficult task trying to find her sisters dreams, especially since they begun sleeping in their own separate rooms. The further they were from one another as they slept, the more difficult it was to find each other as they dreamed. When they were younger and shared a room and a bed, sometimes they'd involuntarily find themselves in a shared dream without even trying. But that hadn't happened in a very long time.

Bubbles opened her eyes once she realized the smells of the ocean had gone completely. She found herself lying on a cold, dirt surface. She sat up and looked around to see nothing else. In fact, it was so dark, Bubbles could hardly see her own nose. She strained her blue eyes as she tried to survey her surroundings as best she could. It was useless, however, and she found herself growing quickly scared. She had never been a fan of the dark, and that alone was enough to creep the young girl out completely.

Wherever she was, it was cold. So cold, she physically shivered as she slowly wondered through the darkness. It was eerily quiet, except for the sound of her own foot steps which seemed to echo forever throughout the void around her. The teenager held her hands out in front of her as she nervously walked, terrified by what she might find in the dark. "Hello?!" she called out, her high pitch voice echoing in the dark.

"What are you doing here?" Buttercup's voice came unexpectedly, and Bubbles couldn't help but shriek with fright.

Buttercup watched her sister collapse onto the ground from fear, shielding her eyes as she cowered. "Please don't hurt me!" Bubbles cried.

"Calm down," Buttercup rolled her eyes as she knelt down towards her short, crybaby sister, "It's me."

As soon as Bubbles recognized the dark figure as Buttercup, she threw her arms around her and squeezed her tightly. "I thought you were a monster!" she cried as she hugged her.

Buttercup smiled a little, and pulled away from her sister's embrace. She sat with her on the ground, and used her pajama top's long sleeve to wipe the tears from Bubbles' chubby cheeks. "What are you doing here?" she asked again. "Another nightmare?"

Bubbles shook her head, "No, but..." she looked around. "Are you having one?"

Buttercup smiled. She crossed her legs underneath her as she got comfortable on the cold, dirt ground. "Nah, just sitting here watching the horses."

"Horses?" Bubbles blinked.

"You don't see 'em?" Buttercup nodded her head towards the dark void in front of them.

Bubbles strained her eyes for several minutes, but saw nothing but blackness before them. She glanced at her sister who stared out into the darkness with a serene smile on her face. Bubbles looked back into the darkness, and back at Buttercup several times before finally blurting, "I don't see anything, Buttercup!"

Buttercup erupted in laughter, and Bubbles stared for a moment before she slowly started to laugh herself.

"Oh," Bubbles giggled as she shook her head, "You're joking!" Bubbles grinned. "For a minute, I thought you were crazy."

Buttercup wiped a tear from her eye as she slowly stopped laughing. "So what brings you by? You know I could get you in trouble with Leader-Girl for breaking the latest rule already."

Bubbles frowned, "I know we said we wouldn't visit each other's dreams anymore, but I feel like it's an emergency."

Buttercup raised an eyebrow, "If it's an emergency, shouldn't we wake up then?"

"Not like that!" Bubbles shook her head, and stood. She placed her hands firmly on her hips and spoke seriously, "I'm calling an emergency Powerpuff Girl meeting."

"Now?"

"Yep!"

"While we're asleep?"

"Yep!" Bubbles nodded with determination once more, "So, let's go get Blossom."

Buttercup watched as her sister plopped back down onto the ground and lay flat on her back, shutting her eyes.

The blonde girl opened one eye to peek at her sister, "Let's _go_ ," she repeated.

Buttercup rolled her eyes and lowered herself onto the floor next to her. She closed her eyes and sighed deeply, "She's going to be pissed when we show up, you know?"

"Since when does pissing her off stop you?" Bubbles said with her eyes still shut.

Buttercup smirked with her eyes closed as well. She felt the touch of her sisters hand as she reached for her. Buttercup clasped Bubbles hands in her own, and the two of them began to feel everything else around them slowly melt away.

* * *

As Blossom awoke in her dreamscape for that night, she found herself on a bed of snow. The tall girl picked herself off from the ground and realized she was on the front lawn of their family home. There were Christmas lights hanging from their rooftop, and Blossom could see the entire neighborhood was brightly lit with Christmas themed decorations. She breathed to herself with relief, "So far so good."

Blossom held her breath as she reached the front door to their house. A part of her still feared what could be inside. The last two nights, her mind was plagued with nightmares which still had her on edge. She listened closely as she paused at the doorway. She could hear the sound of Christmas music playing, and her sister Bubbles laughing with the Professor. So far, it was a good dream, so she opened the door.

" _Surprise_!" Blossom was greeted with party streamers and whistles.

Blossom's pink eyes widened with excitement as she read the giant banner that hung across the wall of their living room: "Welcome Home, Blossom!"

Bubbles flew at her with full force and embraced her tightly in a hug, "Yay you're back home from college! I've missed you so much!"

"C-college?" Blossom stammered as she fought to breathe against her dream sister's tight embrace.

"Yeah!" Bubbles cheered. "I made you a cake! Strawberry! Your favorite! I'll go get you a slice!" the blue Powerpuff flew away with a flash of blue light.

Blossom smiled as the Professor hugged her next. "It's good to have you back home for winter break, Sweetie!"

"Uh, Thanks, Professor," Blossom smiled, "Where's Buttercup?"

"Oh, she's up in her room with her new girlfriend," the Professor smiled. "She'll be happy to see you though! You should run up and tell her you're home!"

Before Blossom could respond, the Professor was pushing her down the hall, to the stair case and up to the second floor. Blossom's fears began to resurface, as she took note that the Professor moved unnaturally fast. When they reached her sister's shut bedroom door, suddenly the Professor was gone. Blossom stood outside the door to Buttercup's room, feeling a sense of dread start to overwhelm her. She held her breath as she reached for the doorknob and slowly peered inside.

A brief flash of her tomboy sister with her arms wrapped around Robin was all Blossom needed to see before she slammed the door shut. " _Oh God_ , this _is_ a nightmare!" she cried as she leaned against the door.

"How is this a nightmare?" Bubbles asked, standing beside Buttercup at the top of the stair case. Dream Bubbles was behind the two, offering them each a slice of strawberry cake. Bubbles happily took the plate from her dream-self and grinned, "Thanks, Bubbles!"

Buttercup took the cake, but sat it aside on the stair railing. "Yeah," she muttered as she looked around, "Seems like a party in your honor, Blossom."

Blossom blinked at the two of them for a moment before she yelled, "What are you two doing here?! I thought we said no more barging in on each other's dreams!" Blossom's eyes immediately narrowed on Buttercup with an accusing stare.

"Don't look at me," Buttercup defended herself, "This was her idea," she pointed at Bubbles who happily ate her cake. "Why are you blocking my bedroom door anyway?"

Blossom's face flushed a bright red, which was enough to intrigue both her sisters. In a flash of blue and green light they barged past their sister and opened the door for themselves. Blossom slammed it shut before they could get more than a glimpse, but that was all they needed.

"Dude! Why the hell am I making out with Robin in _your_ dream?!" Buttercup shouted, shocked, amused and confused all at once. "And why were you watching?!"

"I was _not_ watching!" Blossom yelled back, completely horrified. " _Trust me_ , I shut the door as fast I could," she crossed her arms. "I told you. It's a nightmare." Blossom buried her bright red face in her hands, "...I've been having a lot of them lately," her voice was muffled behind her hands as she still tried desperately to hide her shame and embarrassment.

Buttercup just stared back at her sister in disbelief. She wasn't sure if she should feel bad for her, or feel offended that this was what she considered to be a nightmare. Suddenly she heard the sounds of Robin giggling inside her bedroom, causing herself and Blossom to cringe at once. "Can we get the hell out of here?!" Buttercup turned to Bubbles and shouted in desperation.

" _Wow_ ," Bubbles breathed as she finished her last bite of cake and watched both her sisters start to panic from the suggestive noises they heard. She swallowed, and slowly sat down her fork on her plate, "You guys definitely need this."

"Need what?" both sisters looked at one another as they watched Bubbles return the empty plate to her dream-self.

"Dream Bubbles, can we use your room for a bit?" Bubbles asked herself with a polite smile.

"Of course, Bubbles!" the blonde girl replied happily.

"Thanks!" Bubbles beamed before she took both her sisters by their hands, and begun to lead them down the hallway.

"Bubbles, what's the meaning of this?" Blossom demanded as she and Buttercup stepped into the bedroom. The two stood confused as they watched their blonde haired sister shut and lock the door behind them. Blossom glanced over to Buttercup who gave her a shrug in response.

"Please, girls," Bubbles motioned towards a set of three bean bags in the corner of the room, "Take a bean bag, and have a seat."

The three girls sat down together. Bubbles pulled her own bright blue bean bag chair away from the other two, so that she faced both her sisters at once. Buttercup and Blossom sat in their red and green colored bean bag chairs respectively.

"Bubbles, what's this about?" Buttercup muttered impatiently.

"Seriously," Blossom frowned, "I thought we decided that dream visits were an invasion of privacy."

"You mean _you_ decided," Buttercup grumbled under her breath.

" _Ahem_ ," Bubbles interrupted the two loudly and with a stern look. She then folded her hands on her lap and took a deep breath before stating calmly: "I've brought us all together because it is time for an intervention."

"Bubbles, that's a brilliant idea! I'll go first!" Blossom grinned as she turned to look at Buttercup who glared back at her in response. Blossom cleared her throat before beginning, "Buttercup, you're attitude lately has been a real problem. Not only is it becoming a danger to yourself, but-"

"No, no, no," Bubbles interrupted Blossom as she shook her head. "This isn't Buttercup's intervention." The short girl straightened her posture as she continued to speak seriously from where she sat on top of her bright blue bean bag chair, "It's for both of you."

Buttercup smirked as she reclined in her seat, amused by the shock that swept Blossom's face. "What's the matter, Goody Goody? Don't think you've done anything wrong?" she teased.

Blossom's surprise turned into frustration and she quickly defended herself, "What on Earth have I done?!"

" _STOP!_ " the blue Powerpuff's high pitched voice rang out so loudly, she caused both her sisters to shield their ears with their hands as they cringed from the deafening frequency. Once Bubbles saw that she had their attention, she softly cleared her throat once more before speaking calmly, but seriously again: "This is exactly what I'm talking about. You two can't have a simple conversation without turning it into some sort of meaningless fight!"

"That's ridiculous, Bubbles," Blossom shook her head.

"Yes!" Bubbles shouted, "It _is_ ridiculous!"

"No, I mean that your observation is simply not true," Blossom corrected.

"Yeah, we don't fight _all_ the time," Buttercup shrugged.

"See?" Blossom smiled. "Look at that. Agreeance."

"Yup," Buttercup nodded.

"So, we're done here," Blossom began to rise from her seat, but before she could stand fully, she was knocked back down into her chair by the force of another high pitched shriek from her sister.

" _WE ARE NOT DONE!_ " The entire room shook from the blue Powerpuff's cry.

Buttercup and Blossom exchanged glances once more. It had been a long time since they'd seen their sister that upset, and truthfully it was always a little strange for them to see her loose her cool. "Bubbles, calm down-" Buttercup began.

" _No!_ " Bubbles stood from her seat, and floated above both her sisters. "You two have been at it all summer! Every time I'm with you, Blossom, you're complaining about Buttercup! And Buttercup, you're always complaining about Blossom! And I can never get either of you two together anymore! It's like you're always just trying to avoid one another!" she continued to shout. "Think about it! When is the last time the three of us even sat in these bean bag chairs all at once?!"

Buttercup and Blossom frowned as they watched their short sister slowly descend back into her chair, and hang her head sadly, "You both like to act like nothing's wrong," she said quietly, "But truth is, you both stink at it." Her blue eyes began to glisten with tears as she pleaded with both her sisters, " _Please_ ," her voice squeaked as the tears began to fall, "Can't you two just be honest with each other? For me?"

As the smaller sister began to cry, Buttercup and Blossom rose from their seats and joined their sister together on the giant blue bean bag. Buttercup sat on her left side and Blossom on her right. They each took a hand of Bubbles' in their own, and exchanged worried glances with one another.

"She's right," Buttercup muttered as she watched Blossom pet their sister's blonde hair while she continued to cry. Blossom looked to Buttercup and waited for her to continue. The tomboy bit her lip and avoided eye contact as she spoke, "I can't stand you lately, Red. I _have_ been avoiding you. It's just... well, you're impossible lately," she shrugged. "Like, _super impossible_."

Blossom stared at Buttercup, but she kept her green eyes focused on the floor. Blossom paused for a moment, before she spoke. " _Impossible_?" she repeated with a laugh, "That's funny. That's exactly how I feel about you."

"Why?" Buttercup finally turned to look at her.

"You first."

A scowl swept Buttercup's face at first, but she shook it away. She frowned. "Well, take our uniforms for instance," she shrugged. "You said it'd be something we'd decide together. But instead, you come home acting like it's a done deal, and you've decided for us. Even when you say nothing's decided, I can tell that you already made up your mind. I know you. I could tell the moment you wouldn't drop me having to try the stupid outfit on... you already decided that these would be our new uniforms. Didn't you?"

Blossom hesitated. She looked at her sister Bubbles who still had tears in her eyes. She sighed heavily as she reluctantly admitted, "Yeah, I guess I did."

Buttercup looked away again. "You're always doing that- deciding things for us- for _me_. It sucks."

"Well," Blossom began slowly, "I _am_ the leader, and sometimes I have to make decisions-"

"Don't start that leader crap, Blossom," Buttercup interrupted. "This is what I mean when I say you're impossible. You're always acting like just 'cause you're the leader you have some sort of huge responsibility, but it's all crap! I wish you would just drop this whole _leader_ thing, and realize that we're not super heroes anymore."

"Of course we are!" Blossom spoke up. "And _this_ is how you're impossible, Buttercup. You think just because we're not beating up crooks, that we aren't needed anymore."

"We're not."

"Well, I don't see it that way," Blossom frowned. "The city relies on us for so much more. Those uniforms? They come with sponsorships. And those sponsorships can raise money for Townsville."

Buttercup rolled her eyes, "Who cares?"

"Again, this is what I mean. You _should_ care," Blossom frowned more, "Don't you want Townsville to succeed? Why else did we defeat all those bad guys?" Blossom sighed, "You know, there are a lot of people out there that look up to us. You think I like having to play leader all the time? It's not like you make it easy, Buttercup. You're always making my job harder."

Buttercup glared at her. She opened her mouth to spit back an insult, but stopped herself. Her green eyes fell on Bubbles who watched both her sisters intently. For Bubbles' sake, she swallowed her anger as best she could. "How do I make your job harder?"

"Well, for one you're always skipping out on events like our food bank initiative. Every month the volunteers ask where you are, and every month I have to come up with some sort of excuse as to why only two of the three Powerpuff Girls are there. Also, you're always getting into trouble," Blossom shook her head, "Like, do you know how crazy it makes me knowing that you're out there tarnishing the Powerpuff Girl reputation by partying with stoners?! What if somebody recognized you?! Let's think about that hypothetical. Who would have to defend your actions? _Me_. That's why I have to stay on top of you, Buttercup. Because you're always about to-"

"Fuck up?" Buttercup interrupted.

Blossom frowned. "No, I wouldn't say that. You just tend to always make the wrong decision, that's all."

Buttercup seemed to bite her tongue for a full minute before she spoke again. "You always think the worst of me, Blossom."

"That's not true-"

"Isn't it?" Buttercup interrupted again. "I mean, look at where we _are_! Some twisted dream where I get with Robin while you're off at college? What the hell is that about?! I mean, do you seriously think I'd do something like that?!"

"Well, why wouldn't you?"

"Because you and I swore that we wouldn't!"

"But you lie all the time, Buttercup!"

"Yeah, well, I wouldn't lie about that!" Buttercup shouted. She tried to contain her anger, but it had surfaced anyway. She felt Bubbles squeeze her hand and she forced herself to remain calm once more. "You really think that little of me, don't you?" she muttered through gritted teeth. "Again. You're impossible. No matter what, I'm just a fuck up in your eyes."

Buttercup's accusation sliced right through Blossom, and her pink eyes began to water. She tried to turn her head to shield her tears, but both her sisters saw them anyway. "You're wrong," her voice was uncharacteristically weak, "I don't think that at all, Buttercup." Barely audible, she continued with her back turned, "It's not you, OK? It's me. It's all me. I-I know that Robin likes you more, and... I just know it's only a matter of time before the two of you end up together. She's always asking about you when you're not around, you know? You two have so much in common. Then she made you that bracelet... It's obvious. And so I just know, you know? And so these nightmares... they're not because I think you'll betray me. Who knows? Maybe a part of me is afraid you will, but it's mostly because, well, I'm just certain that you two will end up together... And the whole idea of it, well, it sucks... 'cause... I'm in love with her, and I have to let that go."

The redhead's heart seemed to break right before the two sisters as she confessed her feelings out loud. Bubbles turned to Blossom and took her in her arms as the tall girl buried her face in her shoulder and wept. Buttercup was silent.

"You really think she might like me back?" Buttercup asked quietly after a while.

Blossom lifted her head, and wiped her tears once more. She nodded slowly. "Yeah," she confessed, "I do."

Buttercup was quiet for a long time, as she thought about this. "Well," she said after a while. "You don't have to worry about it," Buttercup nodded as she spoke slowly. "I meant it when I promised you I wouldn't try nothing," she looked Blossom in the eyes as she spoke. "And I admit I've thought about it. ...I don't know if it's just me, but I've been getting the feeling that maybe she does actually like me back, and... I've really wanted to go for it, you know? But then I think of you, Sis." Buttercup smiled weakly. She reached across Bubbles' lap for Blossom's hand, and held it, "I promise you, I'm not trying nothin'. I swear. And I know I lie sometimes, but this isn't that. I promise you, Blossom. For real."

Blossom smiled weakly. "That means a lot, Buttercup, but," she sniffled as she wiped at her eyes again, "I don't need you to promise me that." Blossom took a deep breath as she held Buttercup's hand again, "With Robin... I can't help who she likes. And if it's you, then, I'll just have to get over it. If she likes you and you like her then who am I to stop you two from making each other happy?" Blossom looked Buttercup in the eyes as she stressed her next point, "I want you to be happy, Buttercup," she smiled. "So no more promises about Robin, OK? Whatever happens, happens."

"...Really?"

"Really." Blossom forced herself to keep smiling. It tore her up inside, but if this is what it took to relieve the tension between her and her sister, she was willing to make the sacrifice. Especially after witnessing how it was affecting Bubbles. It was time to end the drama. "In fact," Blossom continued, "I think you should go for it, Buttercup."

Buttercup seemed to blush then. She rubbed her shaggy black hair with her free hand and shrugged, "I dunno, Blossom. What about you?"

Blossom shrugged, "What about me?" She smiled weakly, "You're right about me making all the decisions. So, I promise I'll try and work on that, starting with this. I mean, I guess I was the one who said Robin was off-limits for us," Blossom frowned. She shook her head as she felt a stab of guilt hit her hard in the gut, "It was me who made that rule."

"Well... yeah, I guess it was your idea to start," Buttercup muttered.

"So I take it back," Blossom nodded. "And I promise I'm really going to try to not be so bossy. So then hopefully, you won't think that I'm impossible, right?" she smiled weakly once more.

Buttercup returned a weak smile. "So the uniforms?"

"If you really don't like them, then I guess we'll just have to figure something else out."

"Promise?" Buttercup's green eyes seemed to light up a little.

"Promise." Blossom smiled. Even though she was heartbroken about Robin, she also felt relief to be addressing these things with her sister. She looked to Bubbles who wore a giant grin on her face. She must have felt pretty satisfied with herself. Blossom stood and walked over to Buttercup. She held her arms out as the tomboy stood and the two of them embraced.

Buttercup tried to pull away first, but Blossom held on, "There is one thing you can promise me though," she said as she squeezed her sister tightly.

"What?"

"Well," Blossom began as she pulled away finally, "If I promise to change the uniforms to something you like, then I want you to promise that when you wear that uniform, you will respect the Powerpuff Girl way. That means no more half-assing hero duty, and no more law-breaking got it?"

"That's it?"

"I mean it, Buttercup," Blossom folded her arms. "I know you don't find it fun anymore, but it's still our job. I want you to promise you'll take it seriously, even during the small stuff, OK?"

Buttercup's instinct was to roll her eyes, but she resisted. She smiled weakly at Blossom, knowing that behind her sister's own weak smile, she was hiding a broken heart for Robin. "OK, fine," Buttercup agreed. "Sure. I'll try and be better at... whatever it is we do now."

Blossom smirked, "Can I get that without the sarcasm, please?"

"OK, OK," Buttercup laughed. "I promise: I will work at being a better Powerpuff Girl."

"And I promise: I will work at being a better leader." Blossom grinned.

"What about me?" Bubbles squeaked from where she sat.

Butercup and Blossom stared back at her. Blossom smiled, "We promise we will be better sisters?"

Bubbles stood and crossed her arms, and gave her demand: "I want another family beach day."

"A what?" Buttercup stared.

"Family beach day," Bubbles repeated. "Promise me we will all have a fun day at the beach together before the summer's over!"

Blossom looked to Buttercup who shrugged in response. They both smiled at Bubbles, and swore together: "We promise."

* * *

As Bubbles awoke the next morning she could hear the sounds of both her sisters laughing downstairs. The blonde girl shot out of bed and rushed immediately out of her bedroom and stood over the second floor railing. From where she stood, she could see into their dining room. Buttercup and Blossom sat at the table together, huddled around a piece of paper that Blossom seemed to scribble on with a pencil.

"There!" Blossom grinned, "How's that?"

Buttercup snorted as she laughed, "It's a stick figure!"

Blossom laughed too, "Well, at least it looks like you then," she teased.

"Oh, OK," Buttercup smiled deviously, "I see how it is then," she laughed as she took the pencil from her sister. She erased the stick figure's circular head, and redrew a much larger circle. "There. Now it's you."

" _Ha ha_ ," Blossom replied with a smirk, "Very funny."

Buttercup studied the crude drawing, "We suck."

"Yeah," Blossom laughed again. She looked up from their drawing and saw Bubbles entering the room, "Bubbles, get over here and help us!"

"Yeah," Buttercup smiled, "We need an artist on this."

Bubbles skipped over to the table, grinning from ear to ear. She sat down between her sisters and took the pencil and paper in hand, "What am I drawing?"

"New uniforms," Blossom said.

"Yeah, and no skirts," Buttercup added.

"Good morning, girls," the Professor greeted as he passed through the dining room and into the kitchen.

"Good morning, Professor!" the triplets replied happily in unison.

Professor Utonium stopped in his tracks, and turned around to look at all three girls laughing together at the table. He smiled briefly before he continued to the kitchen to get his morning cup of coffee ready.

"I think pants would be best," Blossom spoke as Bubbles continued to sketch.

"Yeah, definitely," Buttercup agreed. She then grinned big as she had her own idea, "Dude. Let's have capes!"

" _No way_ ," Blossom and Bubbles immediately protested at once.

"Ugh. Fine," Buttercup slumped in her chair. "You guys are no fun."

Professor Utonium reemerged from the kitchen, "We're out of coffee," he announced, "I'm going to run to the store and get some. Do you girls need anything while I'm out?"

"We're fine, Professor," Blossom smiled.

"Wait!" Bubbles shouted, "Sunscreen!" she turned in her seat to face the Professor. "We're going to have a beach day soon! Right, girls?" she grinned.

Professor Utonium chuckled, "A beach day? When is this?"

Bubbles smiled, "Whenever you take us! But it has to be before summer is over, OK?"

"We only have a week until school starts," Blossom pointed out, "What about tomorrow, Professor?"

Professor Utonium smiled, "I guess we can make that happen." He checked his lab coat for his keys and wallet before leaving, "I'll be back soon, girls."

Bubbles squealed with joy, "Yay! Family beach day!"

Buttercup and Blossom smiled at one another as they waited for their sister to finish her drawing. Slowly, their smiles faded as they heard the Professor greet someone at the door: "Oh, hello there, Robin."

Bubbles continued to sketch, and didn't seem to hear their friend's arrival. Buttercup and Blossom continued to stare at one another nervously.

Eventually, Blossom forced herself to smile again, "I'm gonna go get some work done for the Professor in the lab," she announced as she stood.

Buttercup watched her as she left the room, and felt a lump form in her throat. She looked to Bubbles, but she was too concentrated on her drawing to notice Blossom had gone. The blonde haired girl only looked up once Robin entered the room with a cheerful grin, "Good morning, Bubbles! Morning, Buttercup!"

Bubbles looked genuinely surprised to see their friend walk into the dining room. "Oh, morning, Robin!"

Buttercup swallowed hard, and gave Robin a simple wave, "Hey."

"We're designing new uniforms!" Bubbles shared as she returned her attention to her pencil and paper.

"Cool!" Robin joined them at the table. She sat across from Buttercup and smiled at the tomboy, "So how'd you sleep, Buttercup?"

Buttercup blinked back at the brunette, "Wh-what?"

"I mean, did you wear the bracelet?" Robin asked. "The howlite is supposed to help you sleep better."

"Oh," Buttercup lifted her wrist and glanced at Robin's bracelet, "Yeah I wore it to bed. I haven't taken it off, actually." Buttercup felt her mouth go dry as she spoke, "I guess I did sleep better."

"Really?!" Robin asked excitedly.

"Yeah," Buttercup smiled weakly. "So, I guess your voodoo works then, huh?"

Robin giggled, "It's not voodoo, Buttercup!"

Bubbles looked up from her drawing and realized finally that Blossom had gone. She looked between her best friend and her sister, and suddenly felt like a third wheel. "Oh," Bubbles said suddenly as she looked at Buttercup, "I'm gonna go... um... brush my teeth?" She stood from her seat and zipped out of the room quickly.

A nervous nausea hit Buttercup as she realized her sisters had left her alone with her crush. Of course they talked about things the night before, and Blossom had told her to make her move, but should she? She said it was OK, but was it really? Her sister admitted to loving the girl, after all. Sure, Buttercup really liked Robin, but _love_? The green Powerpuff tried not to think about things like that, and now she felt as if she was being forced to.

Suddenly, there was a loud crash heard coming from the basement. Buttercup stood from her seat, and listened carefully. She focused with her super hearing and heard what sounded like Blossom crying. Concerned for her sister, but also glad to have an out from the painfully awkward scenario she found herself in- she flew down to the basement with a quick flash of green light, leaving Robin behind with no explanation.

"What happened?" Buttercup questioned as she skittered to a stop in the laboratory.

Blossom stood in the middle of the lab floor, physically shaking as tears streamed down her face. She stood above a puddle of black liquid and broken glass, staring at the mess in horror. Her mouth was agape as she clutched her head and shook, " _Oh my God_!" she cried loudly as she fell to her knees and broke down sobbing even louder, "I dropped it! How could I drop it?! I never drop anything! How could this happen?!"

Buttercup walked over to her sister, "Dude. It's OK. Shit happens-"

" _It's not OK!_ " Blossom screamed through her tears, " _You don't understand! OH MY GOD, YOU REALLY DON'T UNDERSTAND!_ "

Buttercup stood in shock as she watched her sister continue to spiral. She wasn't sure what to do.

"The Professor was already so low on cinnabar x, and I go an lose the last of it!" Blossom ranted as she cried, "What was I thinking trying to refine so much at once?! I'm such an idiot! How could I be so careless?!" she stared at Buttercup with a wild panic in her eyes that made Buttercup feel uneasy. The tomboy knelt down in front of her sister and tried to help her off the ground, but Blossom only grew more hysterical, " _NO_!" she cried out, "This is terrible! It's all my fault! I lost everything! How could I be such a klutz?! How could I mess up on something that mattered so much?! I can't believe this happened! I can't believe I dropped it! I can't believe-"

"Blossom!" Buttercup took her sister by her shoulders with both hands and shook her, "You need to calm the hell down!"

As Buttercup held onto Blossom, she continued to cry and shake uncontrollably as she breathed faster and faster. Buttercup had seen her sister have a panic attack before, but this one was on an entirely new level. " _Blossom_ ," Buttercup tried again, "There's nothing you can do, OK? Whatever it is you dropped, it's done. It's over, OK? So... just... calm down... _Please_."

"What's going on?" Bubbles asked as she and Robin descended the basement stairs together.

"She's freaking the hell out," Buttercup answered without parting eyes with Blossom, as she held onto her, still.

Bubbles flew over to both her sisters and knelt down beside Buttercup. "It's OK, Blossom," she also tried, "Just breathe."

Robin stayed at the staircase and watched Bubbles and Buttercup try to talk their sister down from her panic attack. "I'll go try to find a paper bag or something," Robin suggested as she climbed the basement steps once more.

Blossom's sobbing slowly stopped, but her breathing remained fast. "Stay with her," Bubbles frowned at Buttercup, "I'll clean up the mess."

Buttercup nodded and stayed knelt down in front of Blossom. She rubbed Blossom's shoulders, as she watched Bubbles start to clean up the mess on the ground. As Bubbles left briefly to throw away all the glass she had cleaned up, Buttercup suddenly realized that her hands had grown strangely cold. She looked down at her hands that grasped Blossom's shoulders, and saw a cool frost start to form on her fingertips. She then looked at her sister and noticed that her skin had turned slightly blue in hue. " _Dude_!" Buttercup shouted as she shook her sister again, "Blossom, what the hell?! You're freezing!" Buttercup watched her sister turn bluer as she got no response. She panicked and screamed in Blossom's face as loud as possible, " _SNAP OUT OF IT, RED!_ "

Bubbles returned to see Buttercup shaking Blossom violently while screaming in her face, and she immediately rushed over. By the time she reached them Blossom's skin faded back to normal. "Blossom! Are you OK?!"

Blossom's teeth chattered as she slowly nodded in response. "I'm f-fine."

"Uh, _no_ ," Buttercup stared at Blossom, "You're not fine. Dude, it was like your ice powers were-"

"I said I'm fine, Buttercup," Blossom insisted again as she rose to her feet. She frowned, as her pink eyes searched the lab frantically, "I just... I need to fix this." She pushed past both her sisters.

"I think you need to go lie down or something," Buttercup stood. She watched her sister with concern. Blossom paced back and forth and Buttercup could see for herself that Blossom's mind was still racing fast. She wondered what she was thinking, but mainly she wondered how Blossom could just ignore what happened. As her sister paced, Buttercup stepped in her path, "You sure you're OK?"

Blossom paused, but only for a moment. The truth was she felt overwhelmed. She had gotten so overwhelmed, it was like she shut down, and everything got so cold. She shuttered. She still felt cold. Buttercup still waited for an answer. "It was just a panic attack," Blossom explained simply, "And it's over now. I'm fine. Really."

Buttercup looked to Bubbles, "You buying this?"

Bubbles shrugged, not knowing what to make of anything. Blossom still seemed panicked, but at least she wasn't hysterical like before.

Robin returned from upstairs and joined Bubbles by her side. "Is she better?" she whispered.

"Think so," Bubbles continued to frown. "I hope so..."

"Look," Buttercup turned back to Blossom who had begun to pace once more, "Whatever it is that you lost, I'm sure the Professor can get more. If he gets mad, I'm sure he'll get over it. Trust me, he always does. So you just gotta stop worrying, alright?"

Blossom shook her head, "That's just it. He can't get any more Buttercup. At least not any time soon."

"Why?" Bubbles questioned.

"It's only found on Monster Isle," Blossom lowered her head in shame, "He's been working so hard, and planning this whole expedition and everything, but they can't get started for like a whole year from now!" The redhead fought back tears again as she tried not to think about how devastating this set back would be for the Professor. "This last portion was supposed to be hopefully just enough for his latest project, and... I wrecked it." Blossom wrapped her arms around herself, as she felt another chill run down her spine, "Now he'll have to wait forever to see it finished."

"Why are they making him wait so long?" Buttercup questioned.

"Because of the stupid monsters!" Blossom sat down at her work station and pouted. "Mayor Bellum said it won't be safe enough for their crew for a while," the teenager slammed her head against her desk and muttered miserably, "They have to bomb the place first or something."

"We can handle monsters," Buttercup shrugged as she leaned up against Blossom's desk.

Blossom lifted her head and blinked at her sister, "We... _can_." Slowly a smile swept Blossom's face, and her pink eyes lit up, "Oh my God, Buttercup, you're right! _We can!_ " She shot up from her desk and zipped over to a large cabinet at the other end of the room. She pulled out a backpack and started to collect other items throughout the lab. "Bubbles, Robin, do you think you two can keep the Professor distracted today for us?"

Bubbles and Robin exchanged glances. Robin smiled, "Sure, Blossom!"

Blossom fixed her backpack straps and smiled, "Seriously. You two have to keep him out of this lab until Buttercup and I get back, got it?"

Bubbles nodded, "Um. Got it." Bubbles wasn't sure what to make of this sudden plan, but seeing Blossom snap into action like that made her smile somehow.

Blossom smiled as she placed her hand on Buttercup's shoulder. "What do you say, Sis? Ready for some action?"

A wide grin slowly swept Buttercup's face. "Oh, _hell yeah!_ "


	5. Family Beach Day

**Villain: Redux**

* * *

A/N: OK, here's chapter 5. Reviews and comments are very much appreciated on this one.

**!Chapter 6 will be posted on TUESDAY, APRIL 7TH!**

And after chapter 6, we will begin Part II. :)

* * *

**Part I: Remote Control**  
**Chapter 5 -** **Family Beach Day**

"OK, we don't have a lot of time, so I need you to pay close attention." Blossom sat at her work desk and typed rapidly onto her laptop's keyboard, "Nobody has step foot on that island since the Isle Walls went up. So we have no idea what sort of scenario we may face there. We have to be prepared for anything, got it, Buttercup?" she angled her laptop screen so that Buttercup could see the map she brought up.

Her green eyed sister stood behind her and leaned forward to get a better look at the screen. "Got it. Be ready to kick ass," she pounded her fists together and licked her lips with anticipation.

Blossom smiled, "The Isle Walls encompass the entire island perimeter," she continued to explain as she traced the map with her finger. "The steel walls are over two-thousand feet tall- that's nearly half a mile high- and approximately twenty-five feet thick. Completely sealed, with no entrances or exits, and considered to be impenetrable."

"'Cept for us," Buttercup grinned deviously as she cracked her knuckles.

"Our entry has to be careful, Buttercup," Blossom's tone was serious as she swiveled in her chair and turned to face her sister, "We can't just go bashing through the wall like nothing. It would be irresponsible of us to risk letting any monsters out. It's summer, and there will be lot's of people across the way at the beach who we can't put in any danger! Not to mention, we definitely can't risk getting caught."

"OK, so how do we get in?"

"There's a steel grate that runs along the top of the Isle Walls. Still, pretty thick stuff, but at least not as solid as the perimeter walls. The spacing is there to let birds freely migrate to and from the island. The openings aren't quite big enough for us, but if we use our laser eyes to cut through a couple bars, slip through, and quickly use our lasers to weld the bars back in place- I think that would be our safest option."

"So you two are going to lock yourselves in a steel cage with monsters?" Bubbles interrupted from where she had been standing quietly waiting for her sisters to finish scheming. The blonde girl wore a look of mild concern as she stared at both Blossom and Buttercup. A part of her felt guilty for interrupting such a rare bonding moment between the two, but another part of her couldn't ignore the bad feeling in her gut. "I don't know if I like this plan anymore..."

"Aw, come on, Bubbles," Buttercup groaned. "Don't be a baby."

"It will be fine, Bubbles," Blossom turned in her chair to face her shorter sibling and gave her a confident smile. "Did you and Robin come up with a good diversion for the Professor today?"

Bubbles nodded, "Yeah, we have a plan. We should be able to keep the Professor out of the house for at least a few hours. Robin's next door getting everything ready."

"Perfect!" Blossom clapped her hands together, feeling as if everything was falling into place. "Operation Diversion is yours to command, Bubbles. Buttercup and I will be counting on you!" she gave her sister a proud smile, and Bubbles couldn't help but smile in return. Blossom turned her seat so she faced her laptop again. "So Buttercup," she continued seriously once more, "I'm thinking we should enter here," she tapped the northern area on the map with her finger, "Mount Ira. It's highest peak of the island, and landing there should give us the advantage of having a good vantage point of the entire area. There, we can use the cover of the mountain's heavy forestry to get a safe look, and see exactly what we're dealing with once we're inside."

"Sounds like a plan," Buttercup nodded as she knelt beside her sister once more and studied the map.

Blossom's finger traced the screen once more and ran down the left side, "Our ultimate destination is the north-western shore side," she showed Buttercup, using her computer mouse to zoom in on the area of the map, revealing a dark, rocky terrain, "There, we should find a canyon that should lead us to the lost mines of Monster Isle."

"Cool," Buttercup cracked a smile, "Sounds haunted." Buttercup felt a tug on her shirt sleeve, and looked to her side to see Bubbles frowning up at her with giant blue eyes. "What?"

Bubbles kept quiet, but motioned towards their redheaded sister with her eyes. Buttercup glanced back at Blossom and watched as she rose from her seat and quickly made her way over to a nearby cabinet, "Almost forgot something!" she gasped as she flew to retrieve whatever it was.

"She seems really determined to fix what she broke, but," Bubbles squeaked quietly. "You think she's all better now?"

Buttercup paused, suddenly remembering the earlier incident. She had gotten so distracted by the opportunity of seeing some action, she had momentarily forgotten. "Yeah..." Buttercup spoke unsure.

Blossom zipped up her red colored backpack, stuffed heavily with supplies, and slung it over her shoulder, "We better get going before the Professor gets back. Ready, Buttercup?"

Buttercup hesitated. "Yeah, but," she paused, "Maybe you should bring a sweater or something? In case you get freakishly cold again or whatever."

Blossom placed her hands on her hips, "It's like a hundred degrees outside, and I said I'm fine," she frowned. "Really," she insisted. Blossom looked from one worried looking sister to the next and sighed, "OK, I admit my powers got away from me for a moment, but I'm in control now."

"Got away from you?" Buttercup repeated with a raised eyebrow.

Blossom shrugged casually in response, "It happens." Her sisters stared back, unsatisfied with her simple answer. "It happens, but I always regain control," she said again with confidence.

"Yeah, you telling us that ' _it happens_ ' doesn't make me feel any better," Bubbles frowned. "That means it can happen again."

Blossom's pink eyes fell on the wall clock on the opposite wall of the laboratory. She began to feel the pressure of getting started on their mission before it was to late to do so. However, both Bubbles and Buttercup stared back at her with obvious concern on their faces. Blossom made her way to the corner of the lab and retrieved the microdose of Antidote X. "We'll take this then as a precaution, OK?" Blossom said as she carefully placed the syringe inside her backpack's front pocket.

"What's that?" Buttercup questioned.

"If you see me losing control of my powers again, just give me a shot of this, and everything will stop, OK? I doubt that will happen, but if this makes you two feel better, we'll take it just to be sure." Blossom zipped up her backpack once more, "That should cover everything," she said with a firm nod, "So. Are we doing this?" Blossom approached both her sisters and stuck her hand out, palm faced down, and in front of them. She held it there and waited for an answer.

Buttercup was first to stack her hand over Blossom's, "I'm in." A sly grin swept her face, and Blossom smiled, too.

Bubbles hesitated for a moment, but the eager smiles of her sisters persuaded her. She threw her hand in next, placing it over Buttercup's, and completing the team-stack, "OK," she smiled, "I'm in, too."

Blossom's grin widened, "On three."

Huddled in a circle, with their hands stacked on top of one another, the trio counted together:

"One-"

"Two-"

"Three-"

All three girls swung their arms into the air with enthusiasm as they cheered in unison, "Let's go!"

* * *

From her bedroom window, Robin watched the streaks of pink and green lights zip across the bright blue sky. As the pair of bright neon streamers faded into the distance, Robin turned to her orange tabby cat, Ginger, who sat beside her on the window's ledge. She patted her feline companion lovingly on the head, "Ready, Ginger?"

The cat purred loudly in response as she rubbed her head affectionately against her owner's touch. Robin scooped her up in her arms and carried her over to her bed, where she had Ginger's purple colored cat carrier waiting. She placed Ginger inside, and locked the door shut behind her.

"Well, Buttercup and Blossom are off to Monster Isle," Bubbles spoke as she entered her friend's room. "Professor should be home any second now. Are you two ready?"

Robin smiled as Bubbles approached her, "We're ready!" she answered enthusiastically.

Bubbles knelt down in front of the cat carrier and peered through the grated door at Ginger, "You remember what to do when the Professor gets here, right, Ginger?" Bubbles purred to the cat.

Ginger rolled onto her back in response, and closed her eyes. The cat remained completely still, and held the pose for several seconds before turning back over and giving Bubbles a small meow: "Like that?"

Bubbles grinned. "That's perfect, Ginger," she encouraged with a purr, "Just be sure to keep still the whole time until we're on our way to the vet, OK?"

"This is so exciting!" Robin bounced with giddiness. "You guys have never included me on a mission before!"

Bubbles smiled at her friend as she watched her skip across her room to the window to check for signs of the Professor once more. "Yeah, thanks for helping." Bubbles heard a low meow from the carrier behind her. "Of course, Ginger," she responded to the cat, "Thanks to you, too."

Robin turned back from the window, "Do you think Buttercup and Blossom are going to have to fight a lot of monsters on the island?"

Bubbles shrugged, "No idea, but Buttercup's hoping so, that's for sure."

"Yeah!" Robin cheered as she jabbed at the air several times. Bubbles giggled as she watched her friend demonstrate her best karate moves against an imaginary foe. Robin stopped as she and Bubbles heard the Professor's station wagon pull into the driveway next door. The brunette gasped loudly as she rushed back to the window and reported her findings back to Bubbles behind her: "He's here!"

"OK!" Bubbles placed her hands on her hips and gave a firm nod to her friend and then Ginger, "Ready, girls?"

"Ready!" Robin wore a look of determination on her face. A squeaky meow was also heard from the carrier.

"Remember," Bubbles told Robin before she left, "The more tears, the better."

Robin nodded, and watched as Bubbles disappeared with a flash of baby blue light.

As Professor Utonium shut the door to his car, he turned around and was met with Bubbles skidding to a stop just before him. "Woah there," he began with a chuckle, "Where's the fire?"

Bubbles immediately took her father by the hand and began to lead him towards their neighbor's home. "Professor, something's wrong with Robin's cat, Ginger!" she shouted in high pitched desperation, "I think it's serious!"

Professor Utonium stumbled to keep up with his blonde haired daughter, "What? Her cat? What's the matter?"

"I don't know!" Bubbles said as she continued to drag him behind her into the Snyder residence, "I've tried talking to her, but she's not responding!"

As Bubbles lead the Professor into Robin's bedroom, they found the young girl on her bed, hugging her cat's carrier tightly and sobbing. " _Oh, Ginge_ r!" she wailed with tears so convincing, Bubbles herself was taken a back by the performance, "Please don't die! It was supposed to be your tenth birthday soon!" she cried loudly. "We were going to throw you a party, and I was gonna make you a cute little hat to wear, and Bubbles was gonna make you a tuna cake and everything!"

Professor Utonium frowned as he knelt down before the teenager, "There, there, Robin," he gently took the cat carrier from her, "I'm sure little Ginger will be just fine." He looked into the carrier to see the striped orange cat lying completely rigid and on her back. The Professor cringed a little at the sight of what appeared to be a dead or, at the very least, a nearly dead cat. He cleared his throat before speaking softly just to Bubbles, as to not to upset the crying girl more, "Honey, I think Ginger might need to see a veterinarian as quickly as possible."

Bubbles nodded as she took the cat carrier from the Professor. "Don't worry, Robin," Bubbles said with determination, "I can get Ginger to the vet in no time!" The super-powered girl held the plastic carrier against her securely, as she shot off immediately through Robin's open bedroom window.

Professor Utonium watched as Bubbles flew away, and sighed deeply as he returned to Robin. The young teen sat on her bed, with her head in her hands as she wept. "The vet will know how to help her, Robin," Professor Utonium tried to sound hopeful, "and Bubbles is certainly faster than any ambulance. She'll make sure Ginger gets the care she needs."

Robin lifted her head and sniffed loudly, "Mr. Utonium?" she squeaked softly between sniffles, and gave the Professor her best puppy-dog look, "Will you drive me to the pet hospital so I can be there, too?" she asked. "Both my parents are at work, and I-I don't have any other way there," she paused as her bright teal eyes filled with more tears, "Ginger's been my best friend for as long as I can remember, and I-I just wanna be there... in case... in case..." the teenager's voice trailed off as she buried her face in her hands again and sobbed loudly once more.

Although the girl's tears were all an act, Professor Utonium could not tell, and he played right into the girls' plan. "Of course, Robin," he gave the girl a kind, reassuring smile. "Let's go."

* * *

The pink and green Powerpuffs soared side by side as they quickly made their way across Townsville and towards the beach. The two traveled at a high enough altitude in the sky, so that they stayed hidden by the layer of white, fluffy clouds that hung far up above the city. As they sped through the air, Blossom looked to her left at her sister who wore an eager grin on her face as they approached the coastline. Blossom couldn't remember the last time she saw that look on Buttercup's face, and she smiled to herself, as well. She began to feel her heart pound faster in her chest as her own adrenaline began to rise. Her pink eyes focused on their fast approaching destination, and she shouted loudly at her sister over the roaring wind that ripped past their ears, "OK, Buttercup! Remember: We go in quick, and quiet!"

"Stealth mode! Got it!" Buttercup shouted back in response. Her green eyes narrowed as she focused on their target below.

Monster Isle was less than forty miles from Townsville's coastline. From the beach's pier the island was just a shadow in the distance to the average person's eye. The small island and its monstrous inhabitants were encased by a steel prison. The construction began at the same time as the Villains Ward. While a wealthy billionaire with a guilty daughter had been the one to fully fund the twenty billion dollar project of the Villains Ward in exchange for his only heir's guaranteed freedom, it was the city who paid for the twice as expensive Isle Walls which would trap the monsters of Monster Isle. It was a controversial proposition that year on the ballot, but the state's voters were narrowly persuaded by the promise of jobs the history-making project would bring- not just for Townsville, but for all nearby citizens of the West. After all, the massive steel cage was designed to be twenty miles long, and seven miles wide to fully surround the island. It took a record-breaking crew to complete the project in the desert within the year's time frame Mayor Bellum had ordered. Once it was completed, it was the Powerpuff Girls themselves who carried it from the desert, to the ocean, and delivered the steel cage to the island.

They had dropped the massive prison on top of the island over three years ago. Since then, Monster Isle had been out of sight, and completely out of mind. Monster attacks on the coast became a thing of the past, and there hadn't been an incident since.

Blossom lead the way as the two descended upon their destination. The two girls carefully, and quietly touched down on top of the steel grated ceiling of the island's cage.

As Blossom began quick work of using her laser eye beams to cut into the steel, Buttercup peered through the grate's spacing, just wide enough for her head, and took her first glance at the land below. As the teen stuck her head between the steel bars, she reported back to her sister, "Dude, the mountain top is like right here! I wonder if I can touch this tree branch-"

Blossom hushed her sister, " _Shh_!" she whispered back, "Any monsters in sight?"

Buttercup used her x-ray vision to scan the thick tropical forest below for signs of life, "Not that I can see," she sounded almost disappointed. She lifted her head once more and saw Blossom remove a perfectly cut piece of the steel grate.

Blossom held the cut steel in her hands, and smiled at her sister. "After you."

Buttercup grinned as she made her way over to the freshly cut opening and swiftly dropped down onto the nearest tree branch, just about ten feet below. She waited there as her sister slipped through the opening, and placed the piece of grate she had cut back in place, and used her laser-beams once more to weld the metal back together.

Blossom joined Buttercup on the tree branch. From where they perched, they were still some two hundred feet from the ground. The tomboy cupped her hand over her eyes as she scanned the forest floor ahead of them. She pointed towards the west, "I can see a small clearing that way," she whispered, "We can probably see the beach from there."

"Let's go," Blossom took off swiftly, and Buttercup followed after her.

The super-powered teens flew through the dense, bright green jungle at a steady pace. They kept their eyes peeled for any creatures that may be lurking in the wilderness. The terrain sloped downwards, and became less green and more rock the closer they got to the edge of the mountain side. As they neared the clearing Buttercup had spotted, Blossom was the first to notice what appeared to be a gigantic scaly beast in that very area. She gasped and stopped immediately, pulling her sister by the wrist quickly with her, as she darted behind a massive tree trunk at the edge of the forest opening.

"I thought you said you scanned for monsters!" Blossom whispered harshly as the two stayed out of sight.

"I did!" Buttercup whispered back with a glare, "I thought that giant lump was just a rock, or a boulder, or whatever! It's not moving!"

Blossom raised an eyebrow, before slowly peering around the tree trunk to get a second look at the scaly giant. The massive, bright red-orange reptilian had to be nearly twenty stories tall, though it was hard to tell, since the beast was lying on its side. Like Buttercup had said, the monster was completely still from where it lay near the mountain's cliff side. Its back was towards them, and as Blossom curiously studied the beast, she likened its pose to something like a fetal position. She then noticed the peculiar sight of several small birds, casually perched upon the sharp, pearl white spikes that ran along the giant lizard's back side.

"Is it... asleep?" Blossom whispered to Buttercup, who stood behind her, observing the same strange scene.

When her sister didn't answer, Blossom turned to face her only to see that she had gone. Blossom turned back around towards the statue-like giant and saw that her sister had already flown over to the beast. As Buttercup near the giant, she halted for a moment as she pinched her nose, completely gagged by the strong odor as she drew closer. She flew around the colossal lizard's head, which was the size of a school bus, and face down in the dirt.

"More like dead," Buttercup announced as she forcefully kicked the massive lizard so that it turned onto its backside. It flopped lifelessly over with a great big thud, creating a large cloud of dust, and scaring off the flock of birds that had been resting on its corpse. As the deceased beast turned over, Blossom joined her sister in the clearing.

"Oh my God," the redhead winced as she cupped her hands over her own nose and mouth. The stench alone was enough to keep her from getting as close as Buttercup had managed to get.

The green Puff removed her hooded sweater she kept tied around her waist, and used it to cover her nose and mouth as she hovered over the giant to get a better look. There were several deep wounds peppered along the beast's front side. The lesions were like dark, deep wells of decomposing flesh and rotting organs, and Buttercup could see that maggots had made their home inside the giant. Its neck had a particularly large gash which seemed to burn all the way down the monster's throat.

As Buttercup studied the gory sight, her sister remained on the ground. Blossom removed a bright pink handkerchief from her backpack and held it over her nose and mouth as she dared to get closer. She noticed the left arm of the beast seemed to curl around something, as if it had died protecting it, and she was curious to discover what it was.

"You think another monster did this?" Buttercup shouted down to her sister from where she rested on top of the Monster's snout as she stared into the lifeless yellow eyes of the reptile. Her voice was still muffled by the hoodie she held to her face.

"Possibly," Blossom responded simply, muffled also by her handkerchief as she tried not to breathe in the foul air around them. She climbed on top of the beast's left arm and looked down at what it held.

"Dude!" Buttercup exclaimed next, "I think I remember this guy!"

"Girl," Blossom corrected.

"What?"

"She's a girl," Blossom repeated as her sister leapt from the monster's head onto the ground beside her. As Buttercup landed, Blossom pointed to what she found in the monster's arms.

There was a large nest, made of brush and branches resting safely in the lizard's grasp. The massive bed of sticks and leaves held three enormous eggs. Buttercup and Blossom circled the nest as they stared up at the cluster of eggs three times their size. Blossom carefully touched the brightly red spotted shell of one of the eggs, wondering if the unborn creature inside was still alive or if it had perished like its mother. She next pressed her ear against the shell, and tried to listen.

Before Blossom could make anything out, she was quickly distracted by the sight of her sister lifting up one of the eggs, and hopping back over the monster's arm as she carried it, suspended over her head. "What are you doing?!" she shouted at Buttercup.

"I thought you said they needed to clear the area before the mayor would let Professor on the island," Buttercup said as she moved closer to the mountain's cliff side. "Well," she held the egg as if she were getting ready to chuck it from the mountain top, "Let's help clear it for him."

Blossom quickly followed after her, "That is not our mission, Buttercup," Blossom pointed out sternly as she flew back over the beast's corpse, "Our mission is to find the lost mines, locate the ore we came for, and get out before the Professor gets back home. That's it."

As Buttercup reached the cliff's edge, she suddenly stopped, "Woah," she breathed as her green eyes widened while she stared down at the land below.

Blossom joined her by her side and looked down at what Buttercup saw.

From where they stood, the two Powerpuffs could clearly see the west shore of the island. The silver sandy beaches were littered with hundreds of lifeless, decaying monster bodies of various species. Buttercup slowly lowered the egg she held, and placed it back onto the ground as she stared at the scene before them in disbelief. "It's like a massacre happened," she breathed again.

Blossom nodded slowly and spoke low, "This must be the result from the airstrikes Bellum talked about to reduce the monster population."

Buttercup glanced at Blossom, and then back down below, "Looks like it's working."

"Come on," Blossom said before she began to descend from the mountain side, flying towards the rocky beach below. Buttercup followed shortly behind her.

As the pair touched down on the beach, they were once again overwhelmed by the rotting stench that surrounded them. Despite it being early day, the shore side was dark. The western side of the Isle Walls sat just some ten yards from the land, protruding from the ocean water. The massive steel barrier cast a dark shadow over the entire beach, trapping the land in permanent darkness. The lack of light enhanced the already eerie atmosphere of the graveyard. The corpses that lay in the sand were so many, some were stacked on top of one another. There was a steady hum of buzzing flies and insects that swarmed around many of the decaying bodies. Pieces of fur, hair, scales, feathers and bone stuck out of places in the sand, suggesting that there were even more buried beneath the shore.

While Blossom took a moment to retrieve her compass from her backpack, and check her map, Buttercup continued to explore the wasteland. The raven-haired teen used one hand to shield her nose from the smells, and her other to swat at the flies that buzzed past her, as she moved closer to where the land met the ocean water. She glanced at the piles of bodies around her, and noticed that casts of crabs picked at the rotting flesh of some of the monsters. She curiously studied the way all the monsters seemed to face towards the ocean; many seemed stretched in positions as if reaching towards the lapping waves just out of their reach. Some perished within the water altogether.

Buttercup glanced back over her shoulder at her sister, "Is it me, or does it look like they were all running towards the water before they died?"

Blossom either didn't hear the question, or ignored it. She studied a small book, with a blank white cover for a moment before tucking it safely in her back shorts pocket. She pointed towards a rocky cliff-side straight ahead, "I think it's this way." She then took a moment to glance around her chilling surroundings one last time before shuddering, "Come on. Let's get out of here."

The two girls flew side by side as they curved around the rocky terrain, and found themselves at a narrow passage way. The canyon walls were tall and jagged, and the space between them was so narrow in places, they had to fall behind one another to squeeze past. As they traveled deeper into the gorge, the air became hot and stagnant, as the terrain continued to slope downward.

Suddenly, the two girls stopped as they both picked up on the same sound at once. They darted against the rocky walls of the canyon, and listened more intently at the sounds of growls and teeth snapping which echoed from further down the ravine. The sisters glanced at one another and communicated only with a single nod, before they carefully continued to creep forward. The two remained as quiet as possible and stuck close to the canyon walls as they neared the source of the noises.

There was a massive heap of striped purple and pink fur- another dead monster. Only this carcass was surrounded by a pack of winged jackals who had made a feast of the dead furry beast. There were five of them ripping apart the carcass with their tiny, but dangerously sharp teeth. The monstrous looking canines were completely hairless, and their thick, leathery skin was dark and rough. Their blank white eyes shone like opals, and each beast possessed four of them. Behind their hunched, bony shoulder blades were a pair of bat-like wings.

Beyond the pack of monstrous jackals, Blossom's pink eyes fell on their destination at the far end of the canyon. Blossom quickly and quietly retrieved the text from her back pocket and flipped to the page she had bookmarked and held it up for comparison. The black and white, ink sketch of the tunnel entrance was identical to what lay before them. That dark tunnel carved into the side of the mountain was the entrance to the lost mines of Monster Isle. Once she confirmed her discovery, she returned the book to her pocket and returned her attention to the monsters which blocked their path.

Blossom whispered as low as she could into her sister's ear so as to not alert the enemy. "You go left. I'll go right."

Buttercup gave a single nod as her green eyes narrowed on her first target. A devious grin swept her face as she imagined the surprise she would soon give the winged monster. She felt an instant surge of adrenaline as her body began to anticipate the much desired action. She cracked her knuckles and held her breath, waiting for Blossom's call.

The pink Puff stood behind Buttercup, planning her first maneuver. Once she had a course of action in her head, she leaned towards her sister's ear once more, " _Now_."

Each girl descended upon the pack of wild dogs with bright flashes of pink and green light.

Buttercup was quick to snatch the first beast by its wings and hurled it with full strength against the sharp, jagged edges of the hillside, rendering the creature unconscious. Before the next jackal could react, she threw a fast right hook, knocking the beast hard across its snout and shattering its shark-like teeth. It fell forward, knocked out cold by the single punch.

Blossom flew at her first enemy at full speed, coming down from above and landing a hard elbow on top of the creature's head, causing it to bite down violently against its own tongue. It whimpered as Blossom kicked it to the side before grabbing the next jackal by its tail and using it to catapult against the retreating jackal she had just faced. The two canines slammed against the other with such force, they tumbled several times across the rocky ground before lying defeated in the dirt.

The last jackal flapped its wings and howled out loudly, releasing a bright blue flame from its mouth as it shrieked. The sapphire-like fire that erupted from its mouth ignited the fur of the dead corpse before them. As Blossom made quick use of her ice breath to extinguish the fire, Buttercup yanked the beast hard by its tail and brought it back down to the earth. She tossed the winged dog hard against the ground. She then stomped on its head with such power, her foot drove right through its skull. Its head instantly exploded like a bursting water balloon, filled with blood and brains.

Blossom finished putting out the small fire and then watched as Buttercup slowly lifted her submerged right foot out from the dead jackal's shattered skull. "Jeez, you didn't have to take it so far," Blossom shook her head as she placed her hands on her hips.

"Oops," was Buttercup's simple excuse. She shook her leg to try to loosen some of the bloody goop that clung to her high-top sneakers.

Blossom continued to watch her sister with disgust, "Gross, Buttercup."

The teenager only smirked in response.

The two approached the opening to the mines together. As they stood at the dark entrance, Blossom fished around in her backpack for two flashlights. She handed one to her sister and kept one for herself. Once they were equipped, they both headed inside.

"The last known location of cinnabar x was found somewhere in the fourth level of the mine, so that's where we should go," Blossom explained as they entered.

Buttercup shone her flashlight on tunnel wall to her left as they entered the eerie cave system. As she walked behind Blossom, she could make out something carved along the wall, " _Lasciate_... _ogne_... _speranza_... _voi_... _ch'intrate_ ," Buttercup read the strange writing out loud as they passed it.

Completely distracted by the writing on the walls, Buttercup bumped into her sister who had come to a stop in front of her. Blossom stared at the forked path in front of them, before consulting her white book again for answers.

"We could split up," Buttercup suggested.

"No way," Blossom shook her head as she flipped through the book, shining her flashlight on the pages so that she could read them. "In case you haven't noticed, this mine is incredibly old, Buttercup." Blossom moved her flashlight so that it illuminated the many wooden beams that ran diagonally across the rock ceiling of the tunnel. "One wrong move, and everything might just cave in on us. We need to stick together, and we need to travel quick, but carefully. Understand?"

"Yeah, yeah," Buttercup shone her light down the tunnel to their left, and strained her eyes to see what lay ahead.

Blossom sat her flashlight on the ground, balancing it on the rusted iron tracks that ran throughout the abandoned mines. She retrieved her cellphone from her shorts pocket, "Bubbles texted," she shared, "They've got the Professor successfully out of the house and can keep him busy for another four hours," she smiled, before putting her phone away and retrieving her flashlight once more.

Buttercup felt a buzz from her own cellphone next. She shoved her flashlight in her armpit as she retrieved the device and checked it. The tomboy snorted as she laughed at the message.

"What's so funny?" Blossom questioned. Buttercup passed her the phone, and she took it. It was a photo sent from Robin of the Professor fast asleep in the pet hospital's waiting room, followed by a text that read: "Guess he never got his coffee."

Blossom giggled, too. "Poor Professor." She returned her sister's phone to her, and smiled weakly. "Come on, it's this way," she motioned to their right.

* * *

Bubbles smiled to herself as she watched Ginger chase the brightly colored streamer Robin dangled above her. The orange tabby cat pounced on the multicolored ribbon and yanked the wand from her owner's hands, bringing it to her belly and kicking it with her hind legs rapidly. Robbin couldn't help but giggle at her feline companion's adorable antics. Bubbles hushed her, "Shh. Ginger's supposed to be sick, and you're supposed to be sad," Bubbles reminded her as she hovered to the door.

A pair of bright blue eyes peeked from behind the small crack of the doorway, and fell upon the pet hospital waiting room. Professor Utonium had been told to wait there while Ginger received her treatment. He had his laptop propped up on his lap, but his head was slumped backwards over the headrest of his seat, and he had fallen asleep before accomplishing any work. Once he had dozed off, Robin joined Bubbles in the first examination room where she waited with Ginger.

Bubbles carefully closed the door to the exam room once more. "If the Professor wakes up, you have to go back out there, and tell him the doctor needs more time with Ginger. I told Blossom we'd keep him away until at least four."

Robin nodded firmly, "Got it." She sat cross legged on the tiled ground of the veterinary room with Ginger curled up on her lap. "Dr. Weaver's pretty cool for helping us."

Bubbles floated over to her friend, and lowered herself onto the ground beside her. "Yeah, she said she owed me for always helping her around the hospital, but honestly, I always felt like I owe her. I know I'm just a translator most of the time, but... I dunno," she reached for Ginger's chin and gave it a gentle scratch, "It's like the only time I get to really use my powers to make a difference anymore."

Robin smiled at her friend, "Maybe you can be a veterinarian, too, one day."

"Maybe," Bubbles smiled a little. Her bright blue eyes fell on the second door to her right as it swung open and a short, elderly woman with long silvery blonde hair walked into the examination room. She was the pet hospital's single veterinarian- Dr. Weaver. Bubbles had known her for as long as she could remember. The blue Powerpuff was always a friend to the animals of Townsville, so naturally she and the city's top veterinarian became fast friends, as well. Whenever Bubbles encountered an animal who needed medical attention- Dr. Weaver was the one she could count on to help.

"If you ask me, you'd make a fine veterinarian, Bubbles," the woman adjusted her thick-framed eye-glasses, "You're already the best assistant I've ever had, and I'm not just saying that because you're free," Dr. Weaver chuckled. "Although I've missed seeing you around this last month or so."

Bubbles stood and faced the veterinarian. "I know," she frowned a little. "My sister got grounded by the Professor, and I've just been trying to keep her company at home. I promise when school starts again, I'll be here every Friday after school like I used to."

"That's quite alright, Bubbles," she smiled. "I do have a staff to run things. Although as talented as they may be, they don't possess quite the same gift as you," she chuckled again. "Speaking of which, would you mind having a chat with one of our patients in the back?"

The blue Powerpuff replied quickly and eagerly with a wide grin, "Of course!" She gave a small wave to her friends Robin and Ginger, and then followed Dr. Weaver who lead her through the staff's entrance to the back area of the hospital.

"He's a young stray that showed up this morning on our hospital doorstep," the veterinarian continued to explain to Bubbles as they walked down a narrow hallway. "Or at least we think he's a stray. The poor little cat was cut up pretty badly. Several puncture wounds along his back right leg. We've stitched him up as good as new, and have him on antibiotics, but the little guy sure is pretty traumatized by whatever he faced. Maybe you can ask him what happened, and if he might have a home somewhere?"

Bubbles nodded, "Sure thing."

Bubbles stepped into the hospital's kennel area, and continued to follow Dr. Weaver walked past the many rows of caged dogs and cats, to the room's designated "Quiet Corner." These kennels were spaced far from the rest of the boarding animals, and reserved for the facility's more sensitive patients. All the cages were empty, except for one. The scrawny black cat was almost invisible from where he hid in the very far end of his kennel. As Bubbles and the veterinarian approached, two saucer moon-like eyes began to glow with fright from the darkened cage.

Bubbles spoke in a low, soft purr to the scared cat, "Hi there. My name is Bubbles. What's your name?"

The cat stared back at Bubbles, his black coat still stood on edge as he replied hesitantly, "Jet."

Bubbles smiled, "Nice to meet you, Jet."

The feline blinked back in confusion for a moment. "You look like a human, but you can talk like me." The cat's curiosity was enough to distract him from his prior fears, and he crept closer to his kennel door. His whiskers twitched as he wiggled his black nose and meowed, "Are you a human, or are you like me?"

Bubbles giggled a little, "Actually, I'm a Powerpuff Girl."

"A Powerpuff Girl?"

"Yeah," Bubbles smiled, "We help people. Well, and animals, too." She knelt closer to the kennel, "Dr. Weaver helped with your injuries, and once you're all better, I can help you get back home."

"Home?"

"Yeah. Do you have a home?"

The black cat's skinny, long tail flicked as he lowered himself onto his belly. His ears lay flat, but he vocalized no answer. He just shut his eyes and flicked his tail once more.

Bubbles could read the situation anyway. "That's OK," she gave a reassuring smile, "Dr. Weaver will help you find a home. Until then, you can stay here. And I come here all the time and visit, so maybe you and I can be friends." The teenager pressed her palm against the grated kennel door, and the small cat nestled his forehead against her touch, feeling comforted.

Bubbles waited for a moment, allowing the cat to calm down fully before continuing, "How is your leg feeling?"

Suddenly the cat's paranoia returned. He retreated to the safety of the shadows of his kennel, before replying with a low purr, "It hurts."

Bubbles watched as the young cat curled into himself, hiding his yellow eyes from her, and Dr. Weaver who looked on curiously. Bubbles began again with a soft mew, "I'm sorry, Jet. It must be awful, but Dr. Weaver says you will be as good as new," she paused again, "Can you tell us what happened?"

The black cat's fur stood up rigid once more as a chill ran down his spine, "A dog tried to eat me alive."

The blue Powerpuff frowned, "I see. Thanks, Jet. Get some rest, OK? I'll come visit you again really soon." She turned to Dr. Weaver and shared the cat's answer with her, "He said it was a dog."

Dr. Weaver crossed her arms, and shook her head, "Suspected as much. Probably was a coyote," the veterinarian gave a long sigh. "Did he say that he belongs anywhere?"

Bubbles blinked back at the vet, taken aback by her initial response. "Um. No, he's a stray," she answered.

"Ah, well," Dr. Weaver began as she and Bubbles started back down the winding corridors of the kennel, "We can add the little guy to our adoption efforts. At least he'll have a good adoption story, surviving a coyote attack, and all that. Pretty impressive."

Bubbles followed along side the veterinarian, still wearing a look of slight confusion.

Dr. Weaver glanced at the teen, and chuckled a little, "I know it sounds pretty superficial, but a good backstory really can make all the difference when closing the deal on these animal adoptions."

Bubbles blinked back, "But why do you assume it was a coyote, Dr. Weaver?"

The short woman gave a simple shrug, "Well it'd be the third incident we've seen this month. I lost five patients the month prior- treated about ten coyote incidents altogether, I believe- and we lost two patients the month before that. Why, just a week ago, a Yorkshire terrier was on a walk with his owner, and one of these menacing coyotes had the audacity to snatch the dog straight off the leash. Within seconds," she snapped her fingers, "He was gone like that." She shook her head, "It's becoming a real epidemic around here."

Bubbles frowned, but said nothing at first. As disturbing as the story Dr. Weaver shared was, she couldn't imagine any of her coyote friends committing such acts. "That's terrible," she finally replied. "But, I know most of the coyotes mean well. They're just... hungry." As they passed by the final row of kennels, Bubbles blinked at the lineup of canine orphans who resided at the hospital. Her blue eyes lit up as an idea crossed her mind, "Dr. Weaver, what if we found homes for the coyotes!"

Dr. Weaver stopped to face Bubbles, "What?"

"Think about it," Bubbles continued with enthusiasm, "If we find people to adopt the coyotes, then they won't be hungry and on the streets anymore! The coyotes get families of their own, and they won't starve anymore."

The veterinarian couldn't help but laugh at the idea, "I don't think that's quite the right solution, Bubbles."

"Why not?"

"Well, coyotes are not domesticated."

"All pets weren't domesticated at some point," Bubbles pointed out with a hopeful smile. "We could change that! I could help!"

The elderly woman couldn't help but smile at the young girl. "You have a big heart, Bubbles," she said sweetly, "but I'm afraid you're fighting for a lost cause. They're coyotes, not dogs."

Bubbles' smile faded as she watched the veterinarian continue past the doorway and into the hospital's back hallway. She followed after her, "But they are like dogs, really," Bubbles protested with a frown. "I speak to them. I know," she insisted. "My friend Victor is the sweetest little coyote ever! I've met plenty of dogs who are pets, and aren't nearly as sweet as him!"

"Not everyone can speak to animals, Bubbles," Dr. Weaver continued with a shrug. "And when it comes to the wild ones, well, they're labeled wild for a reason. And so that's where they belong- the wild. It's not something you can just change over night."

Bubbles felt pretty disheartened having her idea shot down immediately. Dr. Weaver was always a champion for the animals, and witnessing her dismiss the coyotes' plight so easily didn't make sense to her. "But I don't understand," Bubbles frowned. "What makes them wild? Living outside? If we change that, they won't be wild anymore."

"There's more to it than that. Changing an animal's environment, doesn't magically make them appropriate pets. One cannot alter certain behaviors that are instinctual to them. Feral animals, like your coyotes, are wired in a different way entirely. It takes generations to change something like that."

"But how? I don't see what makes them so different." Bubbles frowned. She watched as Dr. Weaver approached her office door. She stood, waiting for an answer as the veterinarian unlocked her office.

"They're simply... unpredictable."

* * *

Blossom continued to lead the way down the dark tunnel path, while Buttercup followed closely behind. The two girls had grown quiet as they traversed through the winding mines of the mountain. Buttercup had been distracted by an ongoing text conversation between herself and Robin, and Blossom had tried her best to ignore it. They were on a mission, after all, so Blossom had to remain vigilant. "There's our next path," she pointed to sloped entryway several yards ahead of them. She focused her flashlight on the wooden-framed tunnel-way. "It should take us to the second level of the mine."

As the two made their way down the steep, dropping pathway, Blossom watched as her sister typed a response to Robin on her phone while wearing a wide grin on her face. The teenager's cellular signal dropped while they descended into the second level of the mine, and her smile was instantly replaced with a pouting sort of expression. Buttercup shoved her phone back into her skinny jeans back pocket, and caught her sister staring at her, "What?"

Blossom smiled. "Nothing," she stopped to retrieve something from her backpack. She reached into a side pocket and pulled out a simple, red hair tie. After she returned her bag to her back, she began to fix her hair into a ponytail, "Jeez, it's like a thousand degrees down here."

As her sister finished with her hair, Buttercup slowly continued on ahead. Blossom quickly caught up and walked beside her. The two both began to feel the heat intensify more the further they traveled.

Buttercup wiped the sweat from her forehead, "Is it gonna get hotter the deeper we go?"

"Hope not," Blossom also began to sweat, "We still have have to get to the fourth level."

" _Great_ ," Buttercup muttered as she tugged on her t-shirt collar, feeling smothered by the sudden humidity. She walked alongside her sister and illuminated their way ahead with her flashlight. Blossom's flashlight bounced off the walls of the tunnel, and would occasionally stop on Buttercup's face, who tried to keep her focus on the path forward. The stagnant, hot air they pushed through was enough of a bother, but the sudden glow on the right side of her face only made Buttercup feel warmer. As the green-eyed girl winced under the bright beam for the seventh time, her growing annoyance got the best of her. She shielded her eyes as she glared at her sister, "What the hell, Blossom! Quit shining that thing on me!"

"Sorry!" Blossom moved her flashlight once more. "It's just so dark in here, I can't see you otherwise."

"Yeah, well, quit it," Buttercup muttered, as she wiped away more sweat from her brow. "I'm right here."

"I said I was sorry," Blossom rolled her eyes. It was so uncomfortably hot inside the narrowing tunnel, she could feel her tank top stick to herself with sweat. She tugged at her top, uncomfortably. "This is too much," she stopped in her tracks, and handed her flashlight to Buttercup for a moment. Buttercup focused the second flashlight on her sister, and watched as Blossom cupped her hands together and softly blew a frosty, cool breath against her palms, lowering her own body temperature instantly. Her skin tingled from the relieving sensation, "Much better." She smiled at Buttercup, "Here, let me help."

"Nah, that's OK-" Buttercup began to protest, but her sister interrupted her with an icy breath anyway. The tomboy quickly shut her eyes and held her breath, as Blossom stepped towards her and blew a soft, icy breeze across her face. Buttercup shuttered a little as the sudden chill radiated throughout her body.

Blossom smiled as she took her flashlight back from her sister and shone it on her. "Much better. Am I right?"

Buttercup narrowed her eyes at Blossom, but said nothing. The redhead gave her sibling an innocent smile, before the two continued forward.

" _So_ ," Blossom began after several moments of silence. "Have you made your move yet?"

"What?"

"With Robin."

Buttercup blushed slightly, but shook it off fast, "Nah." She paused. "I don't know if I will anymore."

Blossom blinked back at her, "Why not?"

Buttercup shrugged. "I dunno." She avoided looking at her sister, but her face grew hotter as Blossom's flashlight beam illuminated her face once more. As she continued to feel Blossom's stare, and she knew she would have to say more. She sighed heavily, "I just don't think I want to anymore."

"Why?!" Blossom shouted, causing her voice to echo throughout the vacant mines. The redhead blushed from the embarrassment of her own loud reaction. She waited for the echo of her own voice to fade, before continuing more calmly, "I don't understand, Buttercup. I thought you really liked her."

"I do."

"So?"

"So," Buttercup groaned, "Ugh. _So_ ," she repeated with obvious annoyance, "Is it _so bad_ that maybe I don't like liking somebody like that?"

"What?"

Buttercup shrugged as she continued to walk beside Blossom. She kept her green eyes on the ground before them where she kept her flashlight shining, "It was one thing to have these stupid feelings that I can't control, but now," Buttercup shuttered a little, "Now, just thinking that she might have those same feelings. I dunno. It's weird. It's creepy. I don't want to think about it, and I definitely can't imagine myself asking her about it either. I thought I wanted to, but now that I guess I can... I don't know anymore."

"How is love weird and creepy?"

" _Ugh_ , don't call it that."

"What? Love? Why not? Isn't that how you feel?"

Buttercup stopped in her tracks, and thought about the question for a moment. She shook her head, "I don't know." She shook her head faster, "And I don't want to know."

Blossom studied her sister's brightly flushed cheeks, hidden behind a forced scowl, and she couldn't help but laugh a little. "Oh my God," she said out loud as it seemed more obvious to her then, "You really _do_ love her," Blossom grinned.

Buttercup's face got redder, and she quickened her pace once more. Blossom kept up beside her as she shone her flashlight on her face which only enhanced the bright color in her cheeks. Buttercup still forced herself to glare angrily, "Back off, Red."

Blossom giggled. "I'm sorry," she couldn't control her laughter, "It's just... this is like the _cutest_ I have ever seen you, Buttercup."

"Ugh! Don't say that!"

"You know what I think?"

Buttercup rolled her eyes. "No. What do you think, Blossom?"

A sly grin swept Blossom's face as she answered, "I think you're scared."

Buttercup stopped in her tracks once more. "What?"

"You heard me," Blossom teased. "Tough rebel Buttercup is afraid to fall in love."

Buttercup glared back at her, "It's not that, alright?" They began to walk again.

"Then why are you blushing so badly?"

"I'm not. It's hot down here, OK?"

"I still feel fine, but if you're hot again, I can-"

" _No way_!" Buttercup interrupted with a shout which echoed back loudly. She gritted her teeth as she waited for her voice to fade down the narrowing passage way. "Keep your stinking ice breath off of me."

"OK," Blossom shrugged, unconvinced.

The two reached a new juncture, and Blossom led the way through a diagonally sloped path, which dropped down to the third level of the mine. As the two touched down onto the rocky path and continued forward, Buttercup grew annoyed by the smug smile that Blossom seemed to still wear on her face. "I said I'm not scared of stupid love, OK?!" she shouted.

Blossom waited for her sister's echo to fade once more before responding, "OK," she said again. "But if you _were_ scared about falling in love," Blossom continued, "I'm just saying that would be completely natural, Buttercup."

Buttercup bit her lip, and stopped for a moment. She raised an eyebrow, "Would it?"

Blossom nodded.

Buttercup stared back at Blossom for several moments. Her scowl was gone, but her face was still flushed. She pushed past her sister, and continued on in silence.

Blossom followed shortly after her. She chose to keep quiet, as the two moved through the dark tunnel together. She could tell that Buttercup was genuinely struggling with her complicated feelings, and Blossom could empathize with her. That was her the day prior before she had decided to give up pursuing Robin herself. For Blossom, seeing her sister so bashful about something- try as she might to hide it- was a refreshing thing. Buttercup rarely showed a vulnerable side to herself, and it had been such a long time since Blossom had last seen a glimpse of it, she wondered if there was any softness left in her sibling at all. As sick as she used to feel by the idea of her sister with Robin, Blossom could at least now find some comfort knowing that her sacrifice would be for a greater good. Perhaps Robin would be the solution to Buttercup's unhealthy levels of rage.

The mines' third level was thankfully not as hot as the prior level. The curving tunnel was wider and taller than the previous floors, as well. As massive as the mine shaft was, as Blossom and Buttercup traveled they still had to duck low every few yards as they passed under clusters of wooden box fixtures which protruded from above. Some of the giant bins overflowed with rubble and dirt that spilled across the ground.

As they passed one of the large wooden chutes, the bottom of it burst open, and an avalanche of rocks spilled out. Buttercup and Blossom whipped around quickly, surprised by the sudden, unexpected noise. Quickly, they focused the beams of their flashlights on the waterfall of rocks. They watched as the heavy sand and debris piled onto the ground.

"Did you knock that while you passed?" Blossom questioned as the spill finally came to a rest.

"No," Buttercup answered. "Did you?"

"No."

They exchanged glances. Buttercup smirked a little as she raised her flashlight to her face and spoke in a low, creepy tone, " _Haunted miiines_ ," she waved her hand in her sister's face who looked genuinely spooked.

Blossom swatted her sister's hand away, "Cut it out, Buttercup."

The two sisters turned back around, and continued down the path ahead. Each took extra precaution as they carefully maneuvered around the repeating pattern of suspended wooden ore bins. "There should be another drop up ahead," Blossom explained as she continued to lead the way.

Sure enough, as the mile long tunnel curved, they came to another diagonally placed drop. The wooden framed winze seemed to glisten as the girls shone their flashlights on the opening. As they walked closer, Blossom stopped as she noticed a strange resistance from the bottom of her sneakers. She shone her flashlight on the ground and noticed a silvery, stringy substance. She knelt down and touched it gently with her fingers and found it to be incredibly sticky. Blossom rose to her feet again and took a step back as her flashlight traced the webbing spread all across the floor, and stretched around the wooden framed entrance. "Buttercup, wait," Blossom instructed.

Buttercup stopped at the entrance of their next path downward. She turned back around, and faced Blossom with a confused look. Blossom held a finger up to her lips, signaling for her sister to remain quiet. She then motioned with her hand for Buttercup to back away from the entrance as she focused with her super hearing on the distant sound of something unknown drawing near.

Buttercup slowly turned back around to face the darkened pathway before them, and slowly inched backward towards her sister as her ears focused on the same, scurrying noise which grew even louder.

Blossom spoke low to her sister in a quiet whisper, "We need to go that way. So we got to draw whatever it is out of there, got it?"

"Got it." Buttercup gulped. "It's going to be a giant spider, isn't it?"

"I don't want to scare you, Buttercup," Blossom kept her eyes focused on the tunnel opening as the scattering noise grew louder and their enemy drew closer, "But yeah. I'm pretty sure that's why there's all this webbing here."

"Fuck," Buttercup muttered. Out of all the giants to have survived the government funded warfare, it had to be her least favorite. The arachnophobic teenager shuttered a little, but remained ready.

"I have a plan."

"OK, what is it?"

"You wait here, and as soon as it comes out, I need you to lead it back the way we just came, OK?"

"Wait what?" Buttercup looked for her sister to her right, but she had already flown away to her position. " _Dammit_ , Blossom!"

Buttercup whipped back around, and her green eyes widened as her flashlight's beam reflected off eight glowing red eyes that stared back at her. Buttercup could hear the enormous spider's fangs click creepily as the monster probably imagined how its new prey would taste. Buttercup remained completely still, and so did the spider, save for its clicking fangs which began to salivate with dripping venom. Buttercup knew as soon as she made a move, the beast would strike, and she remained too scared to even blink. The tension grew as she continued to stare down the spider. She silently cursed her sister in her head for leaving her behind, and giving her no choice but to face this fear.

The green Puff took a single deep breath before she gathering enough courage to take off with a flash of green light. The arachnid's senses were just as quick, and the massive, hairy brown spider scurried after her with lightning speed.

There was just enough room within the thirty-foot tall tunnel walls for the great spider to maneuver through, but it remained close behind Buttercup who flew in and out of the labyrinth of ore bins that crisscrossed throughout the dark tunnel. As the spider reached a particularly tight spot between the wooden chutes, a bright pink light suddenly cut across the rocky ceiling of the tunnel, and sliced through the top of several of the ore bins at once.

Buttercup skidded to stop as she watched the monstrous spider become crushed by the avalanche of rocks that rained down on him from above. The giant struggled to fight its way above the rubble, but the volume was too great. Within seconds, the beast was buried alive.

As the dust settled and the heavy spill came to a rest, Buttercup looked to her sister who hovered above her, wearing a proud smile. She lowered herself back to floor, "Good job, Sis."

Buttercup clutched her chest, still feeling her heart race, "Why did _I_ have to be the bait, huh?" she breathed heavily.

Blossom shrugged, "You're faster." As the two squeezed past the fresh mountain of rocks that now made the tunnel path incredibly tight, Blossom continued, "Plus. Doesn't it feel good to face your fears?"

Buttercup groaned. "Dude, seriously?"

"I'm just saying," she smiled as they reached the entrance to the next level once more, "If you can face that. I'm sure you can ask a girl out."

Buttercup shook her head, and rolled her eyes a little. "Sure, Blossom. Whatever you say." She shone her flashlight's beam down the next drop, and still felt disturbed by the sight of all the spider's webbing. She stood aside from the entrance, "You first."

Blossom confidently stepped forward and lead their descending climb downward. Buttercup followed closely behind her, carefully avoiding hanging bits of spider webs which coated the walls of the long tunnel-way. As the two entered the fourth floor, both sighed deeply with relief. Buttercup- glad to be out of the spider's den. Blossom- glad to have reached their ultimate destination.

Blossom sat her flashlight on the floor, so that the light faced upward, illuminating the rocky, jagged ceiling above. She knelt down and began to fish through her backpack, "This is it. The last level of the mine where the Professor discovered cinnabar x."

Buttercup shone her light across the rocky terrain. There were rows of pillars carved from the mountain itself, which stretched down a long, narrowing pathway. From that main path, there were many smaller tunnels which split off in all different directions. There were large heaps of rocks at every small tunnel entrance that spilled across the main path.

"What are we here for exactly?" Buttercup turned back to face her sister.

As her flashlight beam focused on Blossom, the redhead retrieved a wand-like device from her backpack. "Cinnabar x," she repeated. "It's the ore that the Professor needs to make Chemical X." She stood, retrieved her flashlight from the ground, turned it off and tossed it in her bag before zipping it shut. Blossom slung her backpack once more over her shoulder and slid a small switch at the base of the white handled wand she held. The long cylinder-shaped light bulb illuminated in a faint purple light. She held the lamp up to the nearest wall of the tunnel, and began to scan the rocks as she moved down the mine. "It's a mostly black colored rock, so it will be hard to spot," Blossom continued to explain, as Buttercup followed alongside her. "Under this UV light though, it should have a multi-colored glow to it, so that's what we're looking for, OK?" She paused. "Say, what time is it?"

Buttercup pulled her cell from her pocket and checked the time, "Twelve forty," she tucked her phone back.

" _Already_?" Blossom's pink eyes widened a little. "That only leaves three hours to find it before the Professor gets back home."

Buttercup shone her light on her sister, and quickly noticed that Blossom's breath was visible as the redhead seemed to stare in terror at the mile long main tunnel and its many winding pathways.

Blossom wrapped her free arm around herself, and shivered slightly. While she stood, momentarily stalled by her growing inner anxiety, she felt a nudge on her left shoulder. Blossom glanced to her sister who nudged her once more with her hooded sweatshirt in hand, "Here. Told you to bring a sweater."

Blossom handed the UV lamp for her sister to hold as she slipped on the baggy black jacket. "I'm fine," she insisted as she took the wand back in hand.

"Uh huh," Buttercup shook her head, as she watched her sister closely. "You keep saying that, but make no mistake: I will stab you with that needle you brought if necessary."

Blossom held her hand up, "Buttercup, please only use it as a last resort. Really, I only brought it so you and Bubbles would quit worrying so much." She sighed deeply, "Seriously, if we have to use that, and then we don't find any cinnabar x- that's like the worst possible scenario for this mission. The Professor would be furious if we wasted it over nothing. He made that antidote for emergencies only, got it?"

"Yeah, I got it," Buttercup said as she still shone her light on her sister, "But you can't blame me and Bubbles for being concerned. You said this ice thing happens to you regularly?"

"Not regularly," Blossom rolled her eyes, trying to minimize the issue as best she could.

"OK _fine_ ," Buttercup rolled her eyes right back, "But it happens. So why haven't you told us about this before now?"

Blossom frowned, "Look, I'm sorry," she began, "But I swear, I didn't think it was that big a deal. It doesn't happen often. You know when I get overwhelmed, well, I just start to feel a little cold and that's it." She paused for a moment, wondering if she should go on, but Buttercup seemed to be listening, so she continued, "And sure, sometimes... I guess I just feel so helpless, I sorta... freeze up a little. It's only for a few seconds- maybe a minute at most- and then it's done. I never said anything because it's just never been worth mentioning... not until you saw it happen, anyway. Does that make sense?"

She looked to Buttercup who seemed to nod her head slowly. "Yeah," Buttercup said as she nodded, "I get that sometimes, too, I guess."

"You do?"

"I mean not exactly like that, but," Buttercup shrugged, "I mean, sometimes," she paused as she hesitated slightly before continuing. "Well, sometimes I get so mad, I just... tense up really bad..." Blossom watched Buttercup as she clenched her open fist, while her voice drifted for a moment. Buttercup shook her head before continuing, "I dunno. It's like I feel this weird pressure swelling inside me, and my hands cramp up, and start to hurt like hell- punching something helps though, or usually I can just sort grit through it, you know? And then after a few seconds, it's done."

Blossom stared at her sister as she shared her experience with her. Her mind immediately flashed back to the night of their thirteenth birthday, when Buttercup had her big meltdown. "Do you know what happens when it doesn't stop?"

Buttercup blinked back at her, "It always stops."

Blossom shook her head, and began to think out loud, "On our birthday, I think that's when it almost didn't." The redhead frowned, "You still can't remember what happened that night?"

The skinny teen shook her head, "No." Buttercup's mind searched for an answer, but had none. "What happened?"

Blossom stared at her sister. For the first time, she began to draw parallels between her sister's strange power surge and her own occasional chills. The Professor had theorized that Buttercup's emotions were interfering with her powers somehow, but Blossom hadn't imagined the same extreme possibility for herself or even for Bubbles until then. It was clear that Buttercup had genuinely thought her smaller incidents to be normal, just as she had thought her own ice-powers surfacing sporadically was nothing to worry about, but what if there was more to it than that?

Blossom's mind began to race, but before she could get too far, Buttercup interrupted her growing thoughts. "Tell me what happened that night."

"You got really angry," Blossom gulped as she began, "And you just started shaking all of a sudden. Then you balled up your fists like this," Blossom demonstrated with her open hand as she explained in a low, soft voice. "I thought you were going to try and sock me, but then you just started screaming. I tried to talk to you, and ask you what was happening, but I don't think you heard me. You just kept screaming, and then this... green fire engulfed both your hands- I've never seen anything like it before," Blossom's pink eyes locked with Buttercup's, "And you fell over, still screaming like you couldn't bear it. It seemed like you were in so much pain... Your hands glowed green for a while, but then it... stopped. You were completely out of it, afterwards, and then you just... fell asleep."

Buttercup's green eyes were wide as stared back at Blossom. "That's what happened?"

Blossom nodded, "Yeah." She paused. "Has it ever happened like that before?" Buttercup shook her head, and Blossom frowned once more. "We need to find this ore, Buttercup." She sounded more determined then ever, "Without it, there's no more Chemical X. And without that, there is no treatment for any of us."

"Treatment?" Buttercup questioned as she followed Blossom who made her way to the first small tunnel on their left.

"The Professor has been working on a solution for your power surges, but," she waved the UV lamp over the rock pile at the entrance, while Buttercup illuminated the sixty-foot deep shaft with her own light. "I don't think he's even considered having to make enough for possibly all three of us."

"Wow, I feel special," Buttercup muttered sarcastically under her breath. To her, it was no surprise that the Professor would only theorize something to be wrong with her, and not her other two siblings.

"Don't blame him, Buttercup," Blossom began to lecture. "You're the only one to have such a severe incident, after all. It was so self-destructive, it scared him really bad." She moved past her sister as she continued to scan the rocky walls of the narrowing tunnel with the UV light. "This was the last site of excavation, and those miners left it pretty bare according to the Professor's notes. I think we're definitely going to have to dig further to find anything."

"You only have one of those lamp thingies?"

"Unfortunately," Blossom nodded. "How about you dig, and I scan for any traces, OK?"

Buttercup gave Blossom a single nod, "OK."

* * *

Professor Utonium rubbed the sore spot behind his neck, as he awoke from his unintentional slumber. He looked around the empty pet hospital waiting room, and was relieved to seemingly have no witnesses to his two hour nap, save for his blonde-haired daughter who sat across from him with a smile.

"Good morning, Professor," Bubbles muffled her giggle behind her hand.

Professor Utonium sat up and couldn't help but laugh a little at himself. "Hello, Sweetie." He glanced around the room once more, "Where's Robin? How's Ginger?"

Bubbles rose from her seat and moved to the chair beside the Professor, "Ginger's going to be OK. Robin's with her now, but the vet still wants her here for another two hours at least for observation." Bubbles smiled weakly. She truly disliked having to lie to the Professor so much, but it was her assigned duty for the day. "Is it OK if we stay here, too, Professor?"

Professor Utonium studied his daughter and sensed something off, but read the situation to be that Bubbles was simply worried about her friend. He gave Bubbles a supportive smile and answered, "Sure thing, Sweetie."

Bubbles reached from across her seat and wrapped her arms lovingly around her father in a sudden tight embrace. "You're the best, Professor."

As the young girl hugged her father, a veterinary assistant peaked out from behind the door to another room, "Sorry, Bubbles. Dr. Weaver was wondering if we could ask for your help again?"

"Coming!" Bubbles answered, before she gave the Professor another weak smile, "Sorry to leave you again, Professor. I'll be right back."

Professor Utonium gave Bubbles a proud grin, "That's OK, Bubbles," he encouraged her with a soft pat on the back, "You go do your thing."

The young Powerpuff's confidence swelled and her blue eyes lit up with joy, "Thanks, Professor!" She gave her dad a quick, loving peck on the cheek before she shot off with a flash of baby blue light.

The Professor retrieved his laptop from where it sat beside him. As he waited for his system to start up, he checked his wristwatch for the time- 1:56 PM. He wondered if Blossom had made any progress with their refinery project at home. He hadn't asked her to work that day, but Blossom seemed to volunteer every day as of late, so he assumed she had. The Professor reached for his cell next, and dialed Blossom's cell, but the call went straight to voicemail. " _Strange_ ," he thought to himself, " _She's usually quick to answer_."

An e-mail alert from the mayor disrupted his momentary concern. The subject of the e-mail: Monster Isle Status. The scientist opened the correspondence, and read it immediately:

" _Good Afternoon, Professor Utonium,_  
_I thought you would be pleased to know that I spoke with the governor today, and Townville was graciously granted a small increase on our military spending. With these funds, we seek to speed up our purge efforts for Monster Isle. I still cannot promise you clearance in a month. However, an increase in airstrikes should at least bring your project date closer to the end of this year. I hope this will be sufficient enough for your ongoing research._

 _Speak to you soon,_  
_Mayor Sara Bellum._ "

It was the best news he could have hoped for, or at the time, he thought so.

* * *

" _This_ ," Blossom groaned as she collapsed onto the fresh pile of rubble her sister Buttercup had delivered for her to check next, "is officially a disaster."

"Ah, come on, Red," Buttercup re-emerged from one of the many pits she had dug throughout the final tunnel of the mine's fourth floor. The tomboy's face was smudged with dirt, and her raven black hair was dulled by crusted layers of sand. She carried another large bundle of rocks in her arms and added to the rest of the pile with a careless toss, " _I_ thought we were having fun."

Blossom sat with her face buried in her hands, "We have less than an hour now, and there's been no trace of cinnabar-x," she lifted her head and yelled in frustration, " _ANYWHERE_!"

As Blossom's voice bounced off the jagged walls of the abandoned mine, Buttercup used her flashlight to look around once more, "Maybe we can try over there next," she pointed at another pathway.

Blossom buried her face once more, "We looked there already," she muttered. "We've literally looked _everywhere_ , and still, it's _nowhere_ to be found."

Buttercup shook some of the sand from her hair as she joined her sister on top of the mountain of rocks. She plopped down beside her, "So then what's next, Leader-Girl?"

Blossom pulled up the zipper to the jacket her sister had lent her, and rose to her feet. Buttercup watched her as she slid down the pile of rocks and continued to wave the UV light over the fresh specimens Buttercup had delivered. "All we can do is keep searching until there's no more time to search."

Buttercup sighed heavily as she rose to her feet next. She shone her flashlight across the main passage way to their left and wondered if she should try digging again elsewhere. As her flashlight's beam scanned the hollow mines, Buttercup felt the hair on the back of her neck rise as an unexpected sing-song whisper filled her left eardrum:

" _This way_."

The skinny teenager spun around quickly with her flashlight, but saw nothing. "Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Blossom responded.

"A voice." Buttercup shone her light next on her sister. "Was it you?"

Blossom rolled her eyes in response, "This is no time for joking, Buttercup." She kicked the pile of rocks at her feet which all had tested negative.

Buttercup turned her back towards Blossom once more as she shone her light on the main tunnel path. She strained her eyes to see in the dark as she waited on edge for an answer to the voice she just heard.

Blossom looked up from her work and strained her own eyes to see her sister. The lamp she used wasn't a very good source of light in the dark, so she could barely make out Buttercup's silhouette some several feet ahead of her. She watched as her sister's shadow began to fade into the dark as Buttercup began to walk back towards the main tunnel. "Hey!" she shouted after her, "Where are you going?!"

Blossom quickly grabbed for her flashlight in her backpack and hurried after Buttercup.

"Seriously, Buttercup. We don't have time for your childish ghost stories, OK?" she began to lecture as she approached her sister from behind. She stopped when she stood beside her, and noticed a strange, dazed expression on Buttercup's face. Her green eyes were wide, and her mouth agape, like she was frozen somehow. Blossom followed her sister's gaze to where she focused her flashlight's beam. As soon as her own eyes fell on the pink mist that steadily crept towards them, she, too, fell into the same trance.

Both girls felt an inexplicable pull towards the growing pink mist in the distance, and they found themselves floating towards it. A high pitched giggle echoed throughout the dark mine, but the hypnotic pink clouds that filled the air overpowered both girls' senses. They were helpless to the strange fog's influence, and they followed it like moths to a flame. Buttercup and Blossom moved slowly down a curving passageway to a dead end, where the mist seemed to evaporate. As the air cleared, Buttercup and Blossom were released from their stupor, and looked at each other, confused as to how they got there.

Before either of them could speak, they were interrupted by a sudden gust of cold wind. The fast breeze ripped past them with such a high velocity, it kicked up the dirt around them. The two girls choked as the cloud of dust took a while to settle.

"What the hell was that?" Buttercup coughed.

Blossom coughed as well, "No idea. Maybe one of our rock mountains caused an avalanche back there," Her pink eyes fell on the ground at their feet, and saw that the dirt that had been blown away suddenly revealed something new. She gasped as she focused her flashlight on her discovery- several wooden boards nailed shut what appeared to be another vertical drop. "Buttercup, _look_!" she shouted.

Buttercup knelt down to the ground and began to remove the boards that blocked the entry. Blossom retrieved her notes from her back pocket and flipped through the tiny book in confusion, "Another level?" she questioned out loud, "But there's nothing here about a fifth level."

Buttercup finished removing the last wooden plank and rose to her feet once more. She tried to shine her flashlight's beam down the complete vertical drop, but the passage way stretched further than the light could travel. "Looks like it goes pretty far down."

Blossom stepped towards the entrance, "Let's check it out. We don't have much time."

Both girls dropped down at once. They traveled side by side as they descended deeper into the earth. The air began to grow colder the further down they plummeted. After a few minutes of falling downward, their flashlights finally began to reflect off something below. The passage grew tighter, as they came closer to the shiny object- a bright, glistening, cluster pink colored crystals- they protruded from the walls of the vertical tunnel, leaving only just barely enough space for both girls to squeeze past, as they did, they found more different colored crystal shards cutting across their path downward.

Blossom's eyes widened as she gazed at the colorful kaleidoscope they traveled through, "These specimens are massive," she breathed in awe. "The miners must have stopped before they reached this point."

"Do you hear water?" Buttercup questioned as they continued their descent.

Blossom listened and indeed heard running water below, as the drop began to widen once more. The air grew even colder as the space opened up further below them and revealed a monumentally sized crystal cave.

" _Woah_ ," both girls breathed in unison as they lowered themselves at last onto the floor of the enormous, glistening underground canyon. They found themselves beside a small, shallow river that stretched across the gigantic rocky grotto. Where the river widened into a pool of water, there was a trickling light, waterfall in the distance. Above the water fall, hung massive groups of stalactite formations, which formed the crystal cave's ceiling that stretched miles above them.

"This is incredible!" Blossom gently touched a large purple crystal structure to her right, "If the ore's anywhere, it has to be here!" she exclaimed at Buttercup.

Buttercup's eyes followed the flow of the river. She illuminated the water with her flashlight and it, too sparkled, from how rich it was with minerals. "So where should we start?" she glanced back at Blossom.

Blossom joined Buttercup on the riverbank, as she drew close, the purple beam from her UV lamp illuminated the water with sudden faint, neon rainbow glow. Blossom couldn't help but immediately cross into the river which only ran just past her ankles. She glided the wand over the river's surface and felt her heart soar at the sight of speckled traces of bright pink, blue and green florescent glowing. She immediately yanked her sister by her arm, pulling her into the stream with her in pure excitement, "It's here! _Look_!"

Buttercup saw the faint tri-colored glow for herself, but barely had time to react before her sister continued to drag her down the river alongside her. As Blossom splashed along the riverbank, the water seemed to glow brighter and brighter, as they traveled deeper and deeper into the dark crystal cave. She traced the river back to the pool which surrounded the small waterfall at the farthest end of the cavern. As Blossom held up the UV light to the jet black, rocky wall behind the waterfall, an almost blinding fluorescent radiance of bright pink, blue and green shone powerfully.

" _Oh my God_ ," Blossom lowered the lamp, and reached through the waterfall with her free hand. She held her breath as her hand gently caressed the ore-rich wall. "This is it!" she exclaimed, still somewhat in disbelief as she stroked the smooth service of the dark crystal. Her pink eyes watered a little as she was hit with relief, joy and wonderment all at once, "I can't believe how perfect it is," she breathed in amazement with her pink eyes glistening. "It's truly just... _perfect_."

Buttercup couldn't help but roll her eyes. "Jeez, Blossom," she muttered. "It's a rock." She then, too reached for the ore, but with a hard fist, breaking off a sizeable chunk of black ore. She tossed the softball sized rock to her sister, "Mission accomplished."

Blossom caught the piece of ore and glared at her sister, annoyed by her insensitivity. She wanted to lecture her sister on the importance of their discovery, but she bit her tongue and returned her attention to the mission at hand. She held the rock up before her, "Not quite," the pink Powerpuff used her laser eye beams to carefully carve down the mineral to the size of a golf ball. "I lost fifteen grams, so that's what I need to replace." She smiled at her finished product, placing it in the center of her palm and feeling its weight. "That's more like it."

Buttercup blinked back at her, "Are you serious?"

"What?"

"There's like a ton of it here!" Buttercup shouted as she motioned to the massive rock behind the waterfall. "And all we're gonna take back is that?!" she pointed at the tiny rock specimen in Blossom's palm. "Didn't you say the Professor needed more? Well, let's take more! At least more than that!" she scoffed the ore once more.

Blossom's pink eyes narrowed for a moment before she spoke in a calm lecture, "If we take more, then the Professor will know that we broke into Monster Isle. He'll also know that we all lied to him, and he'll know that you were out of the house when you're still supposed to be grounded," Blossom shook her head. "We can't take more than what needs to be replaced. At least when the Professor begins his expedition, I'll be able to point him in the right direction. The rest will have to wait."

Buttercup groaned, "Dude, that is so lame!"

"Fine, I guess I'm lame then," Blossom rolled her eyes.

Buttercup gritted her teeth as she watched Blossom carefully placed the cinnabar x safely in her backpack along with her light wand. The tomboy muttered something under her breath, but the grumble was too low for Blossom to hear.

Blossom slung her backpack back over her shoulder. "What did you say?"

"I _said_ ," Buttercup groaned again, "Let's just get this stupid mission of yours over with."

Blossom blinked back, "It's _our_ mission."

" _No_ ," Buttercup sighed heavily. "Once again, Blossom, this turned out to be _your_ mission. Me and Bubbles? Once again, we're just along for the ride."

"That is nowhere near the truth, Buttercup!" Blossom defended herself. "We all agreed to do this together!"

"Yeah, but everything was _your_ idea!"

"Are you serious, Buttercup?" Blossom almost laughed, "You were the one who first suggested we could handle the monsters!"

"Uh _duh_. 'Cause it was obvious!"

"You know, you were all about it when you thought it'd be a parade of monster beat downs, and now I think you're just disappointed that our trip wasn't as violent as you would have liked it to be."

Buttercup glared at her sister, "That's not the _only_ reason I agreed to the plan."

"But you admit that you and Bubbles agreed to this. Again, it's collectively _our_ mission."

Buttercup groaned loudly, "You know if we were really here to make a difference then we'd be taking back what the Professor actually needs. Not just enough to save your stupid Goody-Goody favorite status! I can't believe I didn't catch this bullshit until now!"

Blossom stared back at her sister, "Favorite status?"

Buttercup's green eyes narrowed even more, as she continued to glare back at her sister, "Don't act dumb. You know what I mean."

"I am _not_ the favorite, Buttercup!" Blossom defended.

"Of course you are! You've always been the favorite, Blossom!"

"That's ridiculous! The Professor is our dad, and parents don't have favorites. Everyone knows this."

"Right," Buttercup scoffed, " _Dad_." She kicked at the shallow water at their feet as she began to stomp angrily back down the river. "Let's go, Dork Junior!" she called back from afar, "Before _Dad_ gets home and finds out you're not the perfect little lab rat he thinks you are!"

Blossom's anger began to surface, but she tried her best to push it back down. She had no idea what suddenly seemed to sour Buttercup's mood, but she tried to remain focused on the task before them. She wasn't going to let Buttercup's bitterness spoil an otherwise successful mission. She caught up to her sister with a flash of pink light, and then continued to travel beside her. "Dork Junior is a new one," she tried to lighten the mood, "I think I like it."

Buttercup's eyes narrowed once more, "You would."

As they reached the vertical climb back to the top, Buttercup stopped in her tracks. A devious smile swept her face, and she laughed a little to herself. Blossom stared at her with suspicion, "Now what?"

"Nothing," Buttercup smirked, "Just thinking about how I'm gonna tell the Professor how we spent today." The green Puff began to ascend into the air, but Blossom yanked her back down.

"What?" Blossom's eyes narrowed.

"Oh, yeah. See, I've decided that when we get home, I'm gonna tell him everything," Buttercup continued to grin maliciously, "That way he gets to learn the truth about his perfect little favorite."

"What?! You can't do that, Buttercup!" Blossom immediately shouted.

"Watch me," Buttercup said with a sly smirk.

Buttercup began to fly again, but once again, Blossom grabbed a hold of her, "Why would you go out of your way to wreck everything after all we accomplished today?!" she yelled. "If you tell him, he's still gonna keep you grounded! Maybe even indefinitely for something like this!"

Buttercup tore away from her grasp and shot her a meaner look. "If it means I get to see you finally get yours, then I really don't care!"

Blossom blinked back at Buttercup for a moment, but her attitude shifted as a new thought came to her then. She laughed a little, "You know what? I don't know what I'm so worried about," she shook her head as she laughed, and looked at her sister. "If that's what you go home and do, fine. It will just be your word against mine." Blossom smirked, "Who do you think he's gonna believe? Dork Junior or you?"

In that moment, the fiery rage within Buttercup was ignited.

The skinny teenager still held a flashlight in her hand, but as her body grew stiff, and her hands involuntarily snapped shut, the light dropped to the ground. Buttercup gritted her teeth as she tried to bear the rising pressure within her, feeling herself begin to shake. Blossom retrieved the fallen flashlight and shone the light on her sister, who stood rigid with her hands clenched at her sides, and her eyes shut tightly.

"Oh no," Blossom watched Buttercup shake uncontrollably, as the surging power within her continued to rise. She gulped and cautiously stepped towards her, "Buttercup, you can get through this... Just... _breathe_."

Buttercup heard Blossom, but was too distracted by the worsening pain that traveled throughout her body. The worst of that pain centered in the palms of her hands. The green Puff tried her best to keep from screaming but as the torturous power surged more, and she couldn't help it. Buttercup cried out loudly in pain as her knees buckled under the pressure, and she fell to the ground.

"Buttercup!" Blossom fell to her knees with her sister, and tried to hold onto her, just like Buttercup had done for her earlier that same day. She was able to eventually talk Blossom down. Maybe now she could do the same for Buttercup? As Blossom grabbed Buttercup by her shoulders, she felt a static charge shock her in return, and she immediately let go from the sudden, unexpected jolt. The voltage was strong enough to keep Blossom from trying to hold her again. The quick zap she felt was painful, and if that small jolt hurt her, she could only imagine what her sister was feeling as the power continued to consume her.

Buttercup screamed again, still bearing her hands in tight fists, which had begun to glow green. Blossom helplessly watched as Buttercup beat the ground with her glowing fists, in an attempt to alleviate some of the pressure, but the green glow around her hands only intensified. As her fists ignited into balls of green, electric fire, she screamed out in agony once more. The green fire glowed bright enough that it illuminated the entire area around them.

Blossom tried talking her sister down once more, " _Please_ , Buttercup!" she shouted at her with desperation. Her pink eyes began to water as she watched her sister slam both her fists into the ground once more, with such force that it cracked the earth beneath them. " _You can beat this!_ " Blossom shouted again, rooting for her sister to overcome her power surge.

" _I CAN'T!_ " Buttercup cry echoed throughout the massive crystal cave.

Blossom had witnessed enough by then to know that Buttercup's episode was becoming a severe situation. She grabbed her backpack and quickly retrieved the capped syringe she had brought with them. Blossom uncapped the needle and swiftly pierced her sister on her right shoulder. As soon as the microdose of Antidote X was administered, the dark cave grew dim once more as the green fire around Buttercup's hands began to slowly dissipate.

Blossom held her breath as she watched Buttercup continue to tremble slightly with her hands clenched. The strange glow had gone, but the teenager remained hunched forward with her eyes clamped shut. Her forehead dripped with sweat, and she groaned as she at long last stretched her fingers open. She opened her eyes and stared at her palms as she continued to uncontrollably shake. "I c-can't stop sh-shaking," Buttercup finally looked at Blossom again, "Why c-can't I stop shaking?"

Blossom inched closer to her sister and gently placed her hand on her shoulder and rubbed it, but Buttercup immediately pulled away.

"I'm s-still mad at y-you!" she glared at Blossom as she trembled.

Blossom frowned. "That's probably why you're shaking then," she spoke softly, still concerned for her sister, "The antidote calmed your powers, but you still need to try and calm down yourself, Buttercup."

" _Don't t-tell me what I need to do!_ " Buttercup climbed to her feet.

Blossom rose to her feet as well, and watched as her sister wrapped her arms around herself and muttered something low to herself. Blossom returned the now empty microdose to her backpack. She checked her cell for the time and saw that they had about fifteen minutes to get home.

Buttercup sat on a nearby rock, and still clung to herself as she trembled, "It's fucking f-freezing down here," she glared at her sister, "I want my jacket back."

Blossom sighed and quickly unzipped her sister's black hoodie and returned it to her, "Here."

Buttercup snatched the clothing from Blossom, and pulled it on quickly. She said nothing, but continued to wear a scowl as she avoided looking at her sister.

"The Antidote X should only last a couple hours," Blossom explained.

"So I won't have any powers for two hours?!" Buttercup instinctively punched the wall behind her, and immediately regretted it. She felt a sharp pain as her fist met the rock, reminding her of her recent vulnerability, "FUCK!" she shouted. The teenager's knuckles throbbed horribly, and the discomfort only worsened her mood.

Blossom frowned, "Your powers will come back. Just calm down."

" _STOP TELLING ME TO CALM DOWN!_ "

Buttercup's echo rang out throughout the cavern, and Blossom waited for it to fade before continuing, "We have to get going, Buttercup."

"How the hell am I supposed to go anywhere if I can't fly?!" Buttercup questioned angrily. She had finally stopped shaking.

"Well," Blossom shrugged, "I can carry you."

"No way!" Buttercup stubbornly crossed her arms.

Blossom sighed deeply, "Come on, Buttercup. How else are you going to get out of here?"

"I don't care."

"You're being irrational."

" _I don't care_." She refused to look at Blossom, "I'll just wait here until my powers come back."

"There isn't enough time for that, Buttercup." Blossom began to feel the pressure of the ticking clock. "We have to go now." She approached her sister and tried to stand in front of her, but she stubbornly turned away from her once more. " _Please_ , don't make me drag you out of here by force."

"You wouldn't dare."

"I would, and I definitely could," Blossom placed her hands on her hips.

Buttercup kept her arms folded across her chest, and her head turned away from the redhead, communicating to her that she had no intention on moving voluntarily.

Blossom waited for a full minute for Buttercup to surrender, and when she didn't, she scooped her skinny sibling up in her arms, and exited the crystal cave with a flash of pink light.

Her sister grabbed her so fast, Buttercup only realized what had happened when she found herself suddenly deafened by the whistling wind that ripped past her ears. As she clasped her hands over her ears, she next realized she was cradled in Blossom's arms as they flew at high speed through the maze of tunnels throughout the mine. Buttercup tried to fight against her sister's grasp, but Blossom had a firm hold of her as she maneuvered through the underground network.

As Blossom felt her sister struggle in her embrace, she told her, "Sorry, Buttercup, but you left me with no choice."

Buttercup opened her mouth to yell back an insult, but stopped as she felt her stomach drop while Blossom turned a sharp corner, still flying at high speed. Normally, Buttercup had no issue handling speeds twice as fast, but with the Antidote X still active in her system, she was still very much like an average human teenager. She began to feel nauseous as Blossom made another series of quick maneuvers, before darting upwards towards the first level of the mine once more. "Blossom, slow down!" Buttercup yelled as she felt like her sister only increased in speed as they reached the last mile stretch of the mines.

As they entered the canyon passage outside of the mines, Buttercup had to shut her eyes as her dizziness worsened. "Put me down!" Buttercup struggled again to break free from Blossom's hold.

" _No_ , Buttercup, we're going home!"

"Fine, but just stop!" Buttercup yelled. She felt another drop in her already weak stomach. "Blossom, I swear if you don't stop right now, I am going to puke all over you!"

Blossom immediately skittered to a stop as they entered the island's shore side and gently set her sister on her feet. Buttercup ran directly to a nearby rock formation, leaned over and vomited. Blossom frowned as she watched her sister lay sickly over a beach boulder and moaned miserably. Blossom floated over to her and rubbed Buttercup's back as she lurched one more time.

"I'm sorry," Blossom tried as she continued to massage her sister's shoulder blades.

Buttercup used her jacket sleeve to wipe her mouth. She spit at the sand before answering, "Sure you are."

Blossom frowned, "You wanna ride piggyback style instead?"

Buttercup glared at her.

"I'm sorry, Buttercup, but," Blossom sighed heavily, "What do you want from me? It's not like we have many options here." She felt her cellphone buzz in her pocket and she quickly read the message, "It's Bubbles. We have ten minutes." She frowned at Buttercup, " _Please_ ," she begged, "We're _so close_ to pulling this off, and none of us will get in trouble if we just stick to the plan."

" _Ugh_ ," Buttercup groaned. "Whatever." She stood behind Blossom and looped her arms around her neck as she began to slowly ascend into the air.

"I won't go as fast this time. Promise," Blossom said as they took off. "Just please try not to puke in my hair, OK?"

Buttercup held onto her sister as they rose above the sandy beaches, and began to fly over the cliff-side and towards the island jungle. While they flew, Buttercup still felt a burning hatred for Blossom in that moment. She was angry about being reduced to weak mortal, and she blamed her sister for the entire situation. Next there would be the inevitable dread she would have to face once they got home. Blossom would continue lying to the Professor as if nothing ever happened that day, and Buttercup could either go along with it or she could try to convince the Professor of the truth. Convincing him wouldn't be easy. If it was Blossom's word against Buttercup's, it didn't look good for Buttercup. Her troublemaker reputation and long history of lying ensured that she lost that scenario every time. If Buttercup wanted to expose Blossom, she would need irrefutable proof, but what?

As they began to enter the tropical island forest, Buttercup decided she would not let Blossom win this one so easily. Blossom flew at a steady speed, and it was just slow enough for Buttercup to effectively time a perfect escape. As they flew through the thick forest, Buttercup grabbed a passing branch and swung herself off of her sister's back. She struggled for a moment to pull herself up on the branch, but managed to get herself safely on the thick branch's surface. She then quickly ducked behind the tree's dense green foliage and stayed low and out of sight.

Blossom stopped as soon as she felt the weight of her sister leave her. She whipped around, confused, and searched the ground at first, thinking that Buttercup might have fallen. She quickly realized that wasn't the case, and that her sister had ditched her purposely. "Buttercup, this isn't funny!" she shouted at the surrounding forest as she tried to scan for sister.

Buttercup held her breath as she stayed hidden. Her plan was simple. If she could delay them getting home on time, they'd be busted. Time was already ticking, and soon it would be too late. Sure, she'd get in trouble, but more importantly it would be Blossom who got in trouble, too. Buttercup smirked slyly to herself as she heard Blossom continue to call out for her with increasing urgency in her voice as the minutes began to pass.

"Seriously, Buttercup?!" Blossom shouted again. " _We're running out of time!_ "

Blossom's heart began to race, as she tried her best to locate her missing sibling. She knew what Buttercup was trying to do. It not only angered her, but her fear of being found out was growing even stronger. As she scanned the jungle one last time, she yelled out in frustration, "Fine! If _you_ don't want to get back before the Professor and get caught then that's on _you_ , Buttercup! I'm going home! With, or without you!"

She waited for an answer, but received none. Buttercup probably thought she was bluffing, but Blossom was serious. She refused to let Buttercup ruin this. No way. Not after everything, and not after getting so far. Blossom figured if she was forced to return home without Buttercup, she could simply tell the Professor she had no idea that Buttercup had gone out. After all, it wouldn't be the first time. As for Buttercup? She'd get her powers back soon enough, and hopefully by the time she returned home on her own, she would have calmed down enough to perhaps reconsider throwing both her siblings under the bus.

Buttercup remained still as she waited in her hiding spot. After a few moments of silence, she finally peered from behind the brush, and saw that her sister hovered on the other side of the island's steel grated ceiling, sealing her exit with her laser eye beams before she zipped off quickly in a flash of pink light. Buttercup stood from her spot and watched as her sister flew away in the distance, "That _bitch_..."

* * *

As Blossom raced through the dusky, late afternoon sky, she could feel her heart beating fiercely within her chest. Thanks to Buttercup's shenanigans, there was no more time to waste, and she felt very much on edge. She had to replace the missing ore in the Professor's lab before he returned home. He would wonder why she hadn't begun it's refinement. There would be a lot of questions to answer, and she had to be smart about it. Blossom imagined she could conveniently use Buttercup as an excuse. If he knew she had to deal with that on her own, he'd understand why no work had been done. " _She had an episode while you were out, Professor_ ," Blossom rehearsed the scenario in her mind, " _And I had to use the microdose formula to help her, and-_ '

The teenager's thoughts were interrupted by a fast approaching object in the distance. A single military jet soared at top speed towards her. Blossom quickly dropped downward, and fell out of the path of the speedy aircraft. She turned her head as it whipped by, and followed its path with her pink eyes. A look of pure terror swept the girl's face as she watched the sleek jet swiftly reach its target.

Monster Isle.

"No, wait!" is what Blossom tried to shout, but she found herself paralyzed in that moment.

Within seconds, the bomber aircraft soared directly over the caged island, and it released a barrage of warfare upon the land. A heavy shower of thousands of blinking, spherical devices dropped from the jet, and fell through the grated ceiling of the monster prison.

The pink Puff was suspended in the sky, as she looked on in horror. She wasn't sure what sort of weaponry was being deployed, but her mind instantly flashed back to the carnage she and Buttercup had discovered on the island earlier that day, and she knew instantly that this was that. Blossom knew she should fly into action. Everything within her begged for her to go, but an icy chill had instantly swept her the moment her eyes fell on the island in the distance.

She could see her own icy breaths escape her mouth in rapid small puffs, as she began to hyperventilate. The girl was overcome by the most powerful sense of dread she had ever faced. She was a gravity-defying statue in the sky, and slowly, she began to freeze over.

Her mind screamed at her to move. " _Go! Get Buttercup! Now! What are you waiting for?! Why can't you move?!_ " She could feel her cell phone buzzing over and over again in her shorts pocket. However, try as she might, Blossom could not budge an inch. All she could do was look on helplessly as the bomber jet curved back around in the sky, and re-approached the island with another heavy shower of falling golf ball sized missiles.

If she had been able to, Blossom would have shut her eyes right then, but that was impossible for her.

Blossom was frozen.

* * *

Buttercup sat perched on the tree branch with her back up against the tree's wide trunk. She found herself stuck there for the time being. She was at least forty feet from the ground, and a climb down with no superpowers would be risky. While she rested under the coverage of the tree's thick foliage, she could clearly see the land below. Slowly she began to spot the occasional beast roaming through the jungle. Buttercup rolled her eyes at this, " _What? Were they hiding from us this whole time?_ " she thought to herself with annoyance.

The teenager still stewed in her anger as she racked her mind for a strategy on how to outplay her sister somehow. While she contemplated what she could do, she noticed a six-legged elk-like creature who had been grazing the forest below begin to take off suddenly. Next, a massive flock of birds ripped through the jungle top and towards the island ceiling. The thousands of birds squawked loudly, seemingly in a frenzied panic as they rushed to escape the island. Buttercup watched them soar away in confusion, and then began to hear a distant growing whistle in the sky.

The strange sound was enough to bring the teenager to her feet. Buttercup stood upon the tree branch, and stared upward. A sudden cascade of blinking, round devices dropped from the sky like a passing hailstorm. She watched as most of these strange metal balls ricocheted along the jungle top, and scattered all across the forest floor. As she watched the military devices roll along the ground, she saw that the steady red blinking lights each capsule possessed began to blink faster.

In time with the increasing blinking she witnessed, Buttercup heard a steady beeping noise begin to also grow directly overhead. She glanced upward and saw that one of the capsules was wedged on a branch directly above her. She quickly grabbed the metal device and swiftly tossed it as far away from herself as she could. As it soared through the air, it detonated along with the thousands of others like it. As the tiny bombs exploded, they sprayed a glowing green substance in all directions. Everything the acidic chemical came in contact with began to instantly sizzle and melt away. The capsule that Buttercup had tossed shot a stream of the green substance that splattered across a nearby tree. Buttercup watched as the glowing green acid began to quickly eat away at the branches it infected. The substance worked quickly, and the branches of that tree- and hundreds of others in the forest- began to tumble and fall, crashing violently onto the ground below.

Shrieks, roars, and cries began to fill Buttercup's ears as terror spread everywhere around her in an unbelievable instant. She fell backwards as the tree she was stranded upon began to shake. Buttercup clung to the tree's trunk for security while the entire forest floor trembled below. A stampede of beasts of every species fled from the jungle and traveled down the mountainside. Buttercup noticed that some of the creatures that ran, screamed in agony as body parts of theirs burned from the acid wounds they had sustained.

Buttercup scrambled to retrieve her cellphone from her jeans and quickly dialed for Blossom. As she waited for an answer, she continued to witness the chaos below. Slowly, the size of the herd of creatures fleeing began to die down, and Buttercup could begin to make out several casualties left behind. They lay writhing in pain on the ground as pieces of their flesh continued to melt away.

There was a sudden crashing to her right as another massive tree fell over, and crashed into another tree, causing a domino-like effect across the forest. The unexpected noise had made Buttercup jump, and she clung tighter to her tree trunk in desperation, still waiting for Blossom to answer as she watched the jungle around her continue to fall.

Buttercup's call rang until it reached Blossom's voicemail: " _Hi, it's Blossom! Leave a message!_ "

Buttercup screamed into the phone at the top of her lungs, " _FUCK YOU, BLOSSOM!_ " before she hung up.

Her fingers trembled as she dialed for Bubbles next.

* * *

The sun hung low in the horizon as Bubbles walked Robin and Ginger back home for the evening. As she watched the Professor walk along their home's driveway, she heard her cellphone ringing in her overalls pocket. "Hello?" she answered promptly.

" _Bubbles_!" Buttercup yelled loudly on the other end, and Bubbles could immediately sense the desperation in her sister's voice. She halted in her steps as her sister continued to scream, "Bubbles, I need you! Get to Monster Isle _NOW_!"

Robin stopped too, and watched Bubbles with concern as her friend's blue eyes grew wide while she listened intently to her phone, "What do you mean?! You're not home yet?!"

" _NO_! Bubbles, _please_! Get here fast! I really-"

Bubbles stared at her phone and saw that the call had dropped.

"What's wrong?" Robin questioned as she stood with her cat's carrier still in hand.

"I'm not sure, but I gotta go!" Bubbles shouted her answer as she shot off at once.

The blue Powerpuff tore the through the sky at lightening speed. The moment she heard the panic in Buttercup's voice, her instincts knew something had gone terribly wrong. Determined to reach her sister quickly, Bubbles managed to reach the coast in a minute flat. As she neared the ocean, her blue eyes focused on something suspended in the air in the distance.

She gasped as she began to recognize the silhouette, "Blossom!"

The young hero bolted for her sister immediately. She found the redhead completely encased in ice, and made fast work with her laser eye beams to melt away the ice around her head. As Blossom's face broke through the ice, she gasped loudly for air. She continued to wheeze while her teeth chattered uncontrollably, as Bubbles melted the ice around her as fast as she could. As Blossom began to finally regain mobility in her limbs once more, she gasped to her sister between deep breaths, " _We need_... _to save._.. _Buttercup_..."

Bubbles nodded and grabbed Blossom by the wrist. She carried her with her as the two took off quickly for Monster Isle.

* * *

"What do you mean?! You're not home yet?!" Bubbles shouted from the other end.

" _NO_!" Buttercup screamed back into her cellphone as the whistle of the bomber jet returning overhead caused her voice to shake with fear, "Bubbles, _please_!" she pleaded into her phone, "Get here fast! I really-"

Buttercup immediately dropped her phone as her green eyes fell upon the next round of acid bombs that rained from the sky. A blinking metal capsule came to a rest just two branches above her. This one was too far for her to reach, but it wasn't far enough to spare her from its blast once it detonated. Buttercup's eyes quickly darted about her surroundings as she frantically searched for a way out. She could hear the faint beeping of the acid bomb begin to slowly increase its tempo.

She spotted a branch to a nearby tree which seemed clear of any deadly devices, and although she knew the gap between herself and that branch would be a hard space for her to clear, she didn't see any other choice. Buttercup leapt from the tree branch. She fell short of her target, and plummeted to the forest below.

The teen rolled as she landed on the steep forest ground. She managed to only sustain a sprained wrist from the forty foot drop, but she had no time to react to it. She scrambled onto her feet, realizing quickly that she was now surrounded by blinking capsules in every direction imaginable.

Buttercup took off in a frantic sprint, running as fast as her mortal legs could carry her. As the terrain sloped downward, she tripped and instantly began to tumble down the steep, mountain side. She continued to roll with increasing speed until she found herself on the the island's shore.

Buttercup felt the wind completely knocked from her as she landed face first in the silvery sand. She was badly scraped up from her fall, and the sand in her wounds wasn't a pleasant feeling. Her head also throbbed horribly, as she struggled to lift herself back up. She had felt a hard knock against the back of her head at one point during her tumble. There was a ringing in her ears, as she touched the tender spot on the back of her head and felt a stickiness.

Buttercup blinked at the blood on her fingers, still completely stunned from her fall. As the ringing in her ears began to fade, she next heard a rapid beeping coming from her right side. As she turned her head to look, the acid bomb detonated. All Buttercup could do was throw her hands up in front of her as the green acid sprayed in her direction.

She felt the sting to her hands first, followed by a stinging slap across her right eye. She shut her eyes quickly as she felt the chemical goop make contact, but the burning came quickly. It felt as if her right eyeball was instantly set on fire as the chemical heat from the acid seared her right eyelid. Buttercup screamed out in agony as the acid began to eat away at her flesh on both her hands, forearms and face. She pried her left eye open, and witnessed the skin on her finger tips slowly begin to peel away. She screamed again in excruciating pain as her one good eye looked beyond her melting flesh, and focused on the ocean waves that were not far. Desperate for relief, Buttercup forced herself onto her feet, and sprinted for the water.

* * *

" _BUTTERCUP_!" Bubbles called out as Blossom sealed their entryway behind them. As she hovered in the sky above the mountain top forest, her blue eyes widened in horror at the sight of the hundreds of monster bodies littered across the floor below.

Blossom quickly joined Bubbles by her side and called for her sister next, " _BUTTERCUP_!" she shouted at the top of her lungs.

Neither could hear an answer and they exchanged fearful glances with one another before quickly darting forward. Both girls scanned the area around them as they flew through the jungle and took turns calling out for their sister. Bubbles spotted a small detail on the ground of the forest floor and took off with a flash of blue light. Blossom followed after with a flash of pink.

As Blossom joined Bubbles on the ground, the blue Puff looked at her with tears in her eyes as she held the bracelet Buttercup had received as a gift from Robin. The tears streamed uncontrollably down Bubbles face as she imagined the worst. Blossom also felt her own heart stop in that moment as she was hit with crippling dread. Just as the two girls were about to speak their fear out loud, their super-hearing picked up on a familiar, distant groan.

In an instant, both super-powered girls were zooming through the air at top speed in that direction. At the same time, they both spotted their sister, faced down in the lapping waves of the sea. She lay flat on her belly at the edge of the ocean water that gently cascaded across her outstretched arms. As the waves receded, the clear water swirled with traces of bright red blood.

While Bubbles increased her speed towards her sister, Blossom found herself screeching immediately to a full stop. The fear of what she may find kept her from going any further. She watched Bubbles reach her sister, and waited with bated breath for an answer.

" _Buttercup_!" Bubbles cried as she landed beside her sister on the wet sand. She immediately rolled her sister over, so that she was on her back, and carefully rested her body across her lap.

Buttercup choked as she turned over. Her chest heaved suddenly as she began to spit up sea water while her sister held her in her arms. As she fought to regain her senses, it hurt to open her eyes- especially the right one- in fact, it was completely swollen shut. Her body ached so terribly, she found it impossible to move. She looked up at her blue-eyed sibling who stared back at her with streams of tears flooding down both her chubby cheeks.

Bubbles tried her best to ignore the gory sight of Buttercup's fresh wounds to her hands and face. She could tell her sister was slipping quickly back into unconsciousness, and she needed her to stay awake, " _Please_ , Buttercup," she begged as she petted her sister's jet black hair. "Please stay awake." Her tears splashed down on her sister's forehead as she continued to cry, " _Please stay with us_."

Blossom joined them on the shore. She stood above Buttercup with her mouth agape as she gazed upon the acid burns that were seared into her sister's flesh. Buttercup's hands and forearms were so bloody, Blossom wondered if there was any skin left at all. Then there was the right side of her face- completely swollen and also a bloody mess.

Blossom studied the gash to her sister's right eye, and while she stared, her pink eyes locked with her sister's left.

As Buttercup's eyesight slowly began to fade away to black, she stared back at Blossom, who had the backdrop of the setting sun's radiance shining brightly behind her.


	6. Accidents Happen

****

**Villain: Redux**

**Part I: Remote Control**

**Chapter 6 - Accidents Happen**

The chilling darkness that surrounded Blossom had become all too familiar to her. The same nightmare continued to haunt the pink Powerpuff since that terrible day nearly three months ago. She sat up on the cold, dirt ground and quickly reached for a flashlight that sat beside her. The dreaming girl stood barefoot and in her pajamas as she switched on her flashlight. She turned and focused the light on her sister at the other end of the dark crystal cavern.

"So I won't have any powers for two hours?!" Buttercup shouted angrily before punching her fist hard against the rocky wall beside her. "FUCK!"

Blossom began to tremble sightly as she watched her dream sibling reenact the past for what had to be now the twentieth time. It had been a full two weeks since she last visited the hellish memory when she went to bed at night. Blossom had hoped she was finally done with the nightmare for good, but there she was again. She swallowed hard, and cautiously moved forward.

Buttercup held her hurt hand and glared at Blossom- the blame was already burning strong in her emerald eyes. That accusatory look was enough to break Blossom every time she was forced to relive it in her dreamscape. Her pink eyes swelled with tears almost instantly, "Your powers will come back," she spoke softly as she approached Buttercup. "Just... calm down."

"STOP TELLING ME TO CALM DOWN!"

Blossom threw her arms around her skinny sibling and held her tightly as she erupted into uncontrollable sobbing. Even though the nightmare was something that truly tormented her, she still could never resist smothering her dream sibling in a tight embrace every time she saw her. Despite the tomboy's always vicious mood, it was the old Buttercup again. Scowling and shouting, but it was her. Blossom buried her face against her sister's chest and wept as she squeezed her tight.

Buttercup clawed and fought against the embrace, but she was no match against Blossom's superhero strength. "Get the hell off of me!" she yelled, "I told you- I'm still mad at you!"

Buttercup's angry echo rang out throughout the cavern, but Blossom refused to let go. In one of her past visits to this same nightmare, she had let her sister go, and in an instant, she fell into a dark abyss that suddenly opened beneath them. Blossom's tears soaked through Buttercup's t-shirt, as she continued through sniffles, "We have to get going, Buttercup." She knew the Buttercup she embraced wasn't real, but Blossom was still determined to save her from her fate.

"How the hell am I supposed to go anywhere if I can't-"

Blossom scooped Buttercup up in her arms, and carried her quickly out of the crystal cave with a flash of pink light.

"Blossom, slow down!" Buttercup yelled.

But the underground tunnels were already beginning to tremble, and so Blossom only flew faster. As she carried her sister through the final tunnel of the mine, the rocky walls began to shake more violently as things began to cave in around them. Blossom cradled Buttercup against herself, carefully shielding her head from the falling debris of the collapsing mine, as she hastened her speed once more.

"Put me down!" Buttercup wriggled wildly in Blossom's arms as they narrowly escaped the mines at last.

"No, Buttercup!" Blossom's tears still streamed down her cheeks as she shouted back, "This time we are going home!"

"Blossom, I swear if you don't stop right now, I am going to puke all over you!"

"Puke on me! I don't care!" Blossom's pink eyes focused on the grated steel ceiling of the island as she continued to fly. Every time she faced this nightmare she failed to get her sister off that cursed island, and she was dead set on defeating this reoccurring dream once and for all.

As her dream sister vomited all over her pajama top, Blossom kept going. "I'm sorry!" she yelled her apology over the loud wind as they soared.

" _Uggghhh_!" her sister moaned miserably, "I fucking _hate you_!"

Blossom felt herself begin to tremble as her sister's words pierced through her, "I know you do," she quivered, "But I swear- _I swear_ this time I'm getting you home, Buttercup!"

The pink Powerpuff used her laser eye beams to melt a hole in the steel barred ceiling as they reached it. She didn't stop to seal it this time. The last time she tried that, while she juggled Buttercup in one arm and the metal in her other hand, a winged jackal beast ripped her sister right from her. This time, she flew straight through, and refused to look back.

Buttercup still fought in her arms as they flew over the ocean. Suddenly, a military jet soared past them, and that's when Blossom finally came to a stop. She turned around, and watched as the sleek bomber reached the island and deployed its weaponry. Still with tears in her eyes, a weak, hopeful smile swept her face, " _Oh my God_ ," she breathed with relief, "We made it! We actually made it this time!"

She looked down to her arms, and saw nothing. Her heart stopped, as her pink eyes next fell on her sister plummeting to the ocean water below. Only now, the blue ocean waves had been replaced with a sea of boiling, hot green acid. Buttercup screamed as she fell, " _FUCK YOU BLOSSOM!_ " and just before she hit the deadly waves, Blossom shut her eyes tightly and forced herself to wake.

Blossom awoke from her nightmare with a jolt. She sat up in bed with her hand held to her chest as her heart pounded loudly. Her bangs stuck to her face from the cold sweat that had overcome her during the nightmare. She glanced at her bedside alarm clock, and saw that it was just a little past three in the morning.

Blossom floated quietly to the bathroom across the hall from her bedroom, and rinsed her face with cool water in the sink. She breathed deeply as she tried to shake the unsettling dread her dream had caused her. Her pink eyes fell on her hairbrush on the bathroom counter. For Blossom, brushing her hair was a small way she could soothe herself. Her thick curls were secured in a single, long braid that fell to her waist. She untied her hairband and shook out her ginger locks. She then took her hairbrush, and began to gently stroke her hair as she slowly floated back towards her room. She paused in the hallway when she noticed a faint green light escaping from under the shut doorway to her sister Buttercup's room.

Blossom used her x-ray vision to peer inside, and saw that the glow was from her sister's television set. The scrawny teen sat cross legged on the floor of her bedroom, playing a zombie-themed video game. Her back was towards Blossom, and she was surrounded by piles of emptied cans of soda and energy drinks.

Blossom held her breath as she entered Buttercup's room. "Hey," she announced quietly as she stepped inside.

Buttercup remained with her back towards her, still focused on her video game. She said nothing.

Blossom remained at the other end of the room, close to the door, as she continued in a soft whisper, "You having trouble sleeping tonight, too?"

No answer. Buttercup simply reached for an open can of soda that sat on the floor beside her, and took a swig.

"You know, I can make us some sleepy time tea, if you want," Blossom tried again with a weak smile, "I'll be right back."

Buttercup never replied, but Blossom left to the kitchen anyway. She hadn't anticipated a real answer. Buttercup hardly spoke a word to her anymore since the accident. However, Blossom didn't blame her; she blamed herself. Even when others told her not to, she could not help it. Buttercup hated her, and blamed her for everything. And even though the Professor and Bubbles said they didn't- Blossom felt as if they secretly blamed her, too.

Blossom fixed two cups of warm chamomile tea, and returned to Buttercup's room. She walked over to her sibling and held out her green mug to her. "Here you go."

As she held out the beverage, she stood on Buttercup's right side. From there, she could see the dark "V" shaped scar that permanently branded the right side of Buttercup's face. The right stem of the "V" began at her right ear and stretched across her cheek. The left segment climbed upward, across her right eyelid, and cut through her eyebrow. Blossom always avoided staring at the gruesome marking for too long. All it did was remind her of that awful day.

Buttercup had the same, nearly black scarring all along her arms and hands, too. The charcoal carvings began at her forearms and stretched down to her fingertips, but Blossom hardly saw these anymore. Buttercup began to wear long sleeved shirts and jackets, always sized slightly too big for her, to keep those scars hidden. Even in the solitude of her room, the tomboy held her game controller clumsily with her shirt's sleeves draped over both her hands.

Blossom sat the warm mug on the floor beside Buttercup, who kept her green eyes focused on her television screen as she continued to play her game. "You should try and get a little rest, Buttercup," Blossom said quietly, "We have the Discovery Dome's grand opening later tonight, remember?"

Buttercup still did not look at, or acknowledge her sister. She reached over the fresh cup of tea, and instead grabbed her soda can and took another drink.

Blossom frowned a little as she held her own pink mug to her lips and sipped quietly. She didn't want to be a bother to Buttercup, so she slowly made her way back towards the bedroom door. "Well," she paused at the doorway before leaving, "Goodnight, Sis."

Buttercup watched her video game's avatar become overwhelmed by the zombie hoard that surrounded him. She lowered her controller as she watched the bloody text splatter across her screen: "YOU ARE DEAD." She reached for her can of soda again, and finished off the last of the syrupy liquid. She was tired- very tired- but she refused to sleep. There hadn't been a single night's rest that wasn't plagued by nightmares since the day of her accident. So, she tried to sleep as little as possible.

That night was night four of no sleep for Buttercup. It was her personal record so far. She'd gone three days successfully the time before, and she blamed a long car ride home from the therapist for that accidental napping. Being stuck in bumper to bumper traffic for three and half hours while having to sit through the Professor's Patsy Cline albums on a repetitive loop was enough to lull anyone to sleep.

She rubbed at her exhausted eyes with her sleeved hand, and tried her best to focus on her video game again. As she fought to keep her eyes open, it wasn't long before her game's character was ripped a part by the same gang of zombies once more. "YOU ARE DEAD." In the past, getting stuck on the same level for hours would seriously irritate the hot-tempered teenager, but Buttercup hardly felt anything. Her only focus was on staying awake, so she surrendered to the zombie apocalypse, and shut off her game system.

She rose to her feet and made her way to her closet next. Video games were becoming a bore, so she had to find something else to keep her mind occupied. As she opened her closet door, the first thing that greeted her was her bright, lime green Powerpuff uniform- pressed and ready for the premiere. The new look was something that Bubbles had designed for them, though ultimately the sponsors added their own touches. Still, it was a big improvement on the slim-fitted spandex they originally tried to have the girls wear. It was an athletic jacket and matching track pants. Buttercup's was her signature lime green, with black stripes along the sleeves, and one large black stripe across the abdomen. The sponsors added their branding, of course, and it had their official Powerpuff heart logo embroidered over the left chest, as well as a larger display of the multicolored pink heart on the back of the jacket. The material was sheer, and a bit too shiny for Buttercup's liking. It glittered under direct light, which she found tacky, but by the time the finished product was delivered, she didn't care anymore.

Buttercup pushed the uniform to the side, as she reached for her bass guitar and mini amplifier that she kept at the back of her closet. She took her headphones and plugged them into her amp as she sat up on her bed with her sea foam green Squire bass. She secured her headphones tightly around her ears, and turned the volume high to ensure that the notes she played boomed loudly in both her ears.

She rolled up her long sleeves so she could tune her instrument properly. As she fiddled with the metal pegs, she noticed that her finger nails had managed to grow back a little more. The teen took a moment to study her stubby little nails; she rubbed her fingers together, feeling out her heavily callused fingertips. The scarring she endured had turned her hands rough, like sandpaper. It was something she was still getting used to.

She reclined against her bed's headboard as she stared at the night just outside her window. There was a full moon staring back at her as she plucked at the strings of her bass in a steady low beat...

_Duummm duh-dum-duh-dum dumm dummm, duummm duh-dum-duh-dum dumm dummm..._

Playing used to be so gratifying for her. Feeling the low boom radiate through her could be soothing in a way, and music used to be an uplifting cure for just about anything, but as she played on, the notes that rang out felt hollow. The empty sound felt just like everything else as of late-meaningless.

_Duummm duh-dum-duh-dum dumm dummm, duummm duh-dum-duh-dum dumm dummm..._

She continued to stare at the moon outside her bedroom window, as she continued to play the same riff, hoping it could awaken something-anything- inside of her.

_Duummm duh-dum-duh-dum dumm dummm, duummm duh-dum-duh-dum dumm dummm..._

But still, Buttercup felt nothing.

* * *

_Duummm duh-dum-duh-dum dumm dummm, duummm duh-dum-duh-dum dumm dummm..._

"Yo, it's three in the morning, do you think you can quit it with that damn bass already?"

Ace sat on the ground, with his back against his giant amplifier. He had made sure that the volume was turned low, but the amp itself sat behind the sofa his bandmate and temporary roommate Tyler slept on for the night and the repetitive vibrations were enough to keep anyone from getting a decent night's rest.

"It's three already?" Ace lowered his electric bass onto his lap and stretched his arms over his head as he yawned, "Shit, sorry, Man." He switched off his amp, and sat his instrument down for the night at last. "I gotta get to bed. I got work tomorrah- er, today I guess."

"You got work every day," Tyler muttered sleepily from the two-seater sofa as he fluffed his pillow under his head, "We literally live at your shop, Bro."

"Nah, I mean a temp gig. Security for that Powerpuff grand opening thing."

"You still temping on the side for real?"

"Yeah for real. I gotta keep addin' to the house fund. I'm not living here forever with Soph all cramped up in my tiny office. Having to spray her down with air freshener before sending her off to kindergarten class- shit's ridiculous." He walked to the larger, adjacent sofa which sat in the middle of his dispensary floor, and plopped down for the night. During operations, the area was meant to be a lounge for patrons to test out their products. After hours, the two plush green sofas were Ace and Tyler's beds.

"Speakin' of which," Ace said with another loud yawn, "You can't be living here forever neither, Man."

"Eh, I know," Tyler said, "Betty's just mad. She'll calm down."

"Maybe ya should make enough of your own money to find your own spot? Not rely so much on your girlfriend you can't keep half the time-"

"Man, shut up," Tyler laughed a little, half asleep, but amused. "Least I got a girl."

"Shit, I ain't got no time for those games. I got this shop to run, I got plants to grow, I got Sophia to raise, I'm hustling for a house, playing shows with our band, and not to mention I got your bum ass here now-"

"Alright, alright," Tyler chuckled again, "I'm gonna talk to Betty tomorrow. I'll be outta your space soon."

"Well, that'll all depend on Betty then, won't it?" Ace smirked to himself, as he closed his eyes for the night. Truth was, it was always nice having Tyler around as a roommate whenever he got into quarrels with his girlfriend, Betty. He just liked to give the nineteen-year-old a hard time. Having him there reminded him of how things used to be with his old gang. Ace had always been the leader of the group. Every place he went, they followed. Before they were locked up, he always had company. More than that, he had a family. Now, his bandmates Tyler and Betty were the closest thing to family besides Sophia.

"I need ya to pick up Soph from school tomorrow for me while I'm at work, a'ight?"

Tyler yawned loudly, "Sure, Man..." his voice drifted off as he began to fall asleep.

"She gets out at twelve-thirty. Got it?" Ace asked, but didn't get an answer. He reached for a throw pillow on the sofa and chucked it across the room so it struck his sleeping friend on the head.

Tyler was startled awake by the fast cushion to the face. He sat up and looked at Ace.

"Twelve-thirty," Ace repeated, "So. What time are you picking up Soph today?"

Tyler yawned as he laid back down, "Twelve-thirty," he repeated back as he shut his eyes again.

"Thank you," Ace reclined against his pillow once more, "G'night, Ty."

"Night, Ace."

* * *

As night shifted to day, Buttercup watched the early morning November sunrise. She still leaned up against her bed's headrest, with her bass lying quiet next to her. After a couple of hours of hollow plucking, she had surrendered to the numbness inside her and given up on playing altogether. At this point her head had gotten pretty heavy from exhaustion. She quickly caught herself as she felt her own head start to droop forward, and snapped back up with a jolt just before sleep could snatch her.

Buttercup quickly stood from her bed and looked for her next distraction. She went to her computer desk next, and started up her laptop. As she leaned back in her swivel green chair, and waited for her system to boot, she rubbed at her eyes sleepily. The clock on her desk read: 5:49 AM.

The fatigue that weighed her entire body down was strong. Unconsciously, the teen slowly began to slump downward in her chair, as her head dropped forward yet again. Only this time she failed to catch herself. Her eyes closed, and at last, sleep had defeated her.

Buttercup had a mouth full of dry, gritty sand, where she lay flat on her belly on the shore. Even in her dreamscape, her body ached from a lack of proper rest, and her mind felt lost and hazy. It took a moment for her to realize that she had fallen asleep at all. She held her heavy head as she rolled onto her back, and slowly sat up, spitting the sand from her mouth. As she finally realized her surroundings, her green eyes widened with terror as they fell on the sea of blinking acid bombs that surrounded her in all directions. The thousands of blinking, spherical devices beeped rapidly and in deafening high pitched unison, as she desperately shut her eyes and tried to force herself to wake.

Buttercup awoke and instantly fell from her desk chair, landing on the ground with a thud. Her heart raced powerfully within her chest, as she scrambled back onto her feet with a wild panic in her wide green eyes. Her ears were still tuned to a terrifying beeping she heard, and she spun around frantically searching for the hidden acid bomb that must be there somewhere. It took a moment to realize that it was only Blossom's alarm clock sounding off its daily 7 AM alarm, just on the other side of their shared bedroom wall.

Buttercup stood trembling slightly. Her nerves gradually began to settle once her sister shut off the beeping alarm at last. While the hour nap was hardly enough to satisfy her sleep deprivation, at least the brief nightmare accomplished one thing for Buttercup: She was definitely wide awake now.

* * *

Normally, Bubbles would only volunteer to make breakfast on the weekends, but that Friday was the day of the Discovery Dome opening, and Bubbles wanted to help her family with a proper start to the day. As she carried the towering stack of fluffy heart-shaped pancakes to the dining room table, she had to keep the plate steady so that the nearly foot tall stack would not fall over. She gently placed the plate of pancakes at the center of the table, where it was surrounded by the rest of the morning-time feast she prepared: fresh cut fruit, scrambled eggs, a great heap of hash browns, and she even baked a fresh dozen of blueberry muffins the night before.

As Bubbles began to set the table for her family, she saw Blossom enter their dining room first. "Morning, Blossom!" she greeted her sister with a smile. "How did you sleep?"

"Morning," Blossom said. "Fine," she hid the lie behind a small smile. Her eyes fell on the massive breakfast spread, "Wow, Bubbles. What's all this?"

Bubbles giggled a little, "OK, I may have gone a _little_ overboard," she confessed with an innocent shrug. "It's just that I want us all to have a good day today with the premiere and all. I heard on the radio yesterday that they're even going to have a live feed at Townsville Stadium where even more people will be watching."

"Yeah," Blossom nodded as she carefully fixed a plate of food for herself, "They sold out the museum seating pretty fast, and there was a high demand for more. So the stadium was set up for a big watch party for the fans who couldn't get tickets."

Bubbles sat down with her own plate of food beside Blossom. Her blue eyes drifted over Blossom's head and fell on the shut doorway to Buttercup's room. "I'm kinda nervous, Blossom," she spoke quietly.

Blossom took a moment to swallow the bite of scrambled eggs she had taken. She didn't need to follow her sister's worried gaze to know what she was talking about, "Me too," she said just as quiet. She sat down her fork and tried to give Bubbles her best encouraging smile, "But, it's going to be fine. The Professor will be doing all the talking. All we have to do is stand there, and smile."

"Yeah..." Bubbles' voice faded as she thought about this. Just standing there and smiling seemed like an easy enough task, but what about her sister Buttercup who never smiled as of late? Bubbles tried every day to lift her spirits, but nothing seemed to work. Everyone told her that Buttercup needed time- that she was adjusting to a lot. She had been through a lot. It had been only three months, and while the grand opening to the Discovery Dome had been planned for over a year, Bubbles couldn't help but feel that this event was one too soon for her recovering sibling.

Blossom quietly popped a fresh strawberry in her mouth as she watched the door to her sister Buttercup's room swing open at last. Her pink eyes quickly darted away as Buttercup descended the stair case and slowly made her way into the dining room.

Bubbles greeted Buttercup with a chipper smile like every morning: "Morning, Buttercup! How did you sleep?"

"Fine," the lie was told through a low mutter as Buttercup continued past the dining room and into the kitchen without looking at either of them.

Bubbles frowned a little as she watched Buttercup return to the table with a bowl of sugar cereal and a carton of milk. She watched as her sister drowned the small mountain of marshmallow bits with a generous amount of milk. "Um," Bubbles continued with a weak smile, "I made breakfast today."

Buttercup said nothing as she took the seat beside Bubbles with her bowl of cereal.

The Professor was next to enter the room. "Good morning, girls," he greeted as he moved through the dining room and into the kitchen to grab his cup of morning coffee.

"Good morning, Professor," Bubbles and Blossom answered. Buttercup quietly slurped her cereal from her bowl, and said nothing.

Professor Utonium returned to the dining room with his fresh cup of coffee and sat down at the table with his three girls. "Look at all this," he chuckled as he started to stack his plate with heart-shaped pancakes. "I'm sure this was all you Bubbles, wasn't it?"

The blonde girl perked up from where she sat, "Well, I just figured it's a big day today."

"It is," the Professor smiled before he took a bite and savored the homemade pancakes. After a few more bites, he remembered something. "Oh yes," he said as he sat down his fork, and wiped his mouth with his napkin. "Buttercup and Blossom," he began as he fished around in his lab jacket pocket for two small, plastic pill bottles. He then leaned across the dining table and sat down one bottle in front of Blossom and the other in front of Buttercup. "I have your monthly refills ready."

The small, red, oblong capsules were made to address Blossom and Buttercup's "power surges." The daily medication was something that Professor Utonium created himself. Each red pill contained just enough Antidote X to keep their powers from growing beyond their control. As long as Blossom and Buttercup took them every day, they would not have to worry about chilling, ice overs or strange, painful meltdowns. The scientist had just enough Chemical X left to produce just another month's worth of the power stabilizing medicine. Thankfully, his excavation project was set to begin in just another week's time, so that he could retrieve more cinnabar x to create more.

"Thanks, Professor," Blossom said as she took the medicine bottle in front of her, twisted the cap open, and promptly took her dose for the day. As she safely tucked the pill bottle into her school bag she had beside her, she smiled at the Professor, "So, do you have everything ready for Monster Isle, Professor?" she asked him as she cut into her pancakes with a fork and butter knife.

"Sure do," he answered with a mouthful of food.

"I was thinking," Blossom began next after she finished her bite, "Maybe while I'm on winter break, I can come and help you-"

"That's alright," the Professor interrupted her. "Why don't you just focus on your high school studies, Dear? I have everything handled just fine."

A frown swept Blossom's face as soon as the dismissal came. She watched her father as he continued to eat his breakfast in silence, while he listened to Bubbles who shared a story about school with everyone. He sat across from Blossom at the table, yet she felt as if he avoided looking at her.

The redhead suddenly felt a familiar pain in her gut. Things hadn't felt the same between herself and the Professor since Buttercup's accident. He called it an accident, but if he truly believed Blossom had no blame in what happened, then why did he revoke the promise of college? Blossom would never forget the look of simultaneous horror and disappointment on his face that day as she confessed the truth to him. The expression was almost as shocked as his look was when he first came upon Buttercup at the ICU. He said nothing further to her that day once he learned the Monster Isle scheme was entirely her plan. He said "no college" as if it were a punishment, but Blossom did not care about going to college next year anymore. All she wanted was for everyone to forgive her- especially the Professor- and especially Buttercup.

Blossom forced herself to swallow the last bit of her breakfast, as Bubbles finished her story. She laughed along with her and the Professor as if she had been listening the whole time, and forced herself to wear an artificial smile once more.

The Professor's attention returned to Buttercup who sat at the far end of the table and had been silent throughout the meal. She slouched lazily in her chair as she stirred the contents of her cereal bowl with her spoon, staring blankly at the multicolored milk that swirled with the remaining bits of soggy sugar cereal.

"Don't forget to take your medicine, Sweetie," he reminded her from across the table with a sincere smile.

Buttercup continued to stir her cereal, with no response or reaction. Bubbles leaned over and gave her a gentle tap on the shoulder, "Hey," she whispered to her dazed sibling, who finally glanced at her, "Professor says don't forget to take your medicine."

Buttercup stared at Bubbles as if what she said took a minute to register. She blinked at the pill bottle in front of her for a moment. The new medication was something she did not enjoy. Mainly because one of the power stabilizers' side effects was drowsiness, and Buttercup already felt tired enough as it was.

Buttercup frowned as she put aside her spoon, sat up in her chair, and reached for the plastic container before her.

Professor Utonium watched Buttercup closely as she twisted open the cap, placed a single pill on her tongue, raised her cereal bowl to her lips, and gulped. He then stood from the table and smiled at Blossom and Bubbles, "You girls have a nice Friday today at school," he said as he began to leave, "Buttercup, I'll see you in the lab."

Buttercup's eyes followed the Professor from behind her raised cereal bowl as he made his exit from the dining room. She sat the bowl back down, and flinched nervously from the sudden pair of lips pressed against her right cheek.

"Muah!" Bubbles planted a quick peck on Buttercup's scarred cheek, "Bye, Buttercup!" she hugged her tightly like she did every morning before she left to school. She then grabbed her backpack and a blueberry muffin for the road, and skipped out from the dining room.

Blossom rose from her seat next. She smiled weakly at Buttercup, although the tomboy did not look at her. "See you after school, Sis," Blossom said to her as she slung her book bag over her shoulder and left.

Buttercup listened to the sounds of her sisters leaving. As soon as she heard the front door to their home shut, she lifted her cereal bowl to her lips once more, and spit back out a bright red pill.

* * *

"Just where do you think you're going?"

The servant's hand halted just inches from the door handle as soon as she heard the young heiress's voice. Cathy turned and faced her five-foot boss who marched towards her with authority. "Oh, good morning, Princess-"

"Haven't I made myself clear?" Princess said as she crossed her arms. "Daddy's suite is totally off limits! Cathy, I expected better from you, honestly."

Cathy blinked back at the young teenager. She held with one hand a freshly laundered and ironed suit, and tried to explain to Princess, "But your father reminded me months ago to have his lucky suit ready for today-"

"Today?"

"Yes, Miss. Well, today is the premiere for the Discovery Dome. So, I figured Master Morbucks would be returning from Paris any moment now, and he would want this-"

Princess's dark eyes narrowed while she kept her arms folded across her chest, "Give me the suit, Cathy."

"I'm sorry, Miss?"

"I said: _Give me the suit, Cathy_."

Cathy stared at the young girl for a moment. She had not raised her voice, but she spoke with such a deep and serious tone, it was just as effective. As soon as she offered the suit to her, Princess snatched it. "Miss," Cathy gulped, "I promise you that your father did give me clear instructions to-"

"To what?!" Princess interrupted her with a snap, "Have his suit ready for the stupid grand opening?! Well, he's not going, so you can just forget it, alright?!"

"Not going? But, Miss Princess, he must be returning home today. I know that your father-"

"Oh, you just know, is that it, Cathy?" Princess interrupted her quickly once more, "Well, if you know so much, then you should know that Daddy has always made it perfectly clear that when he's not home, who is in charge?"

"You?"

"That's right," Princess held the large black suit with one hand, and placed her other hand on her hip, "And I said: Nobody is allowed in Daddy's room. But you just think you know better?" Her dark brown eyes narrowed once more. "You're fired."

"Miss, you cannot be serious-"

"I said: You're _FIRED_!" Princess's shouting echoed throughout the manor. "NOW GET OUT OF HERE!"

The short girl yelled so forcefully, Cathy could do nothing but obey the order. She quickly rushed around the corner, down the hall, and out of sight from the screaming child. Once the servant reached the manor's main staircase, she paused to catch her breath. Princess had always been an unpleasant boss, but over the past few months she had made a habit of abruptly firing the staff of the estate. Less than a quarter of the staff remained at all. Cathy had feared she might also lose her employment, but she figured as long as she lasted until Master Morbucks returned home- the girl's father would eventually be able to talk some sense into her.

As Cathy leaned against the grand staircase's railing and still panted, Alfred approached her with a slip of paper in hand.

"What's this?" she questioned as she took the small sheet of paper.

"Your severance pay," Alfred explained simply.

Cathy blinked back at the dark haired butler, astonished that he had the check prepared so quickly. "Alfred," she began as she stared at the tiny check in disbelief, "I have worked for the Morbucks family for twenty years!"

Alfred nodded, "Twenty-two, I believe."

"Why, yes! Exactly!" the woman shouted. "Just because that little girl says so... it can't possibly be true! I'm fired?! If her father was here, he would know that I've been devoted to raising that little brat since he brought her home from the orphanage! Who else will deal with a child who is that- well, that crazy! I cannot be fired just like that!"

Alfred watched the woman still stare at the check in her hands, frozen in shock. Truthfully, he had predicted it was only a matter of time before Cathy became victim to the young heiress's wrath. She was an excellent employee who knew her job well, knew the estate well, and knew the Morbucks family almost as well as he did. But she did not know everything. And what Cathy did not know was that if Princess believed anyone was beginning to "know too much," then that would be the end of their employment.

"You may have the rest of the afternoon to pack your things," Alfred said next. Cathy stared at him with even more shock then. "It's been a pleasure working with you, Cathy."

Alfred left Cathy behind, still in a state of shock. The skinny butler's footsteps echoed throughout the quiet mansion, as he made his way down the empty corridor which led to Master Morbucks's bedroom suite. He approached the sealed double doors, and reached for a thin chain that was tucked safely behind his shirt. As he removed the chain from around his neck, and held the small, golden key on the other end, he paused. The sound was muffled, but on the other side of the door, he clearly heard crying. Alfred used the key to unlock the door, and stepped inside.

Princess had laid down her father's black suit upon his bed's mattress. The small girl sat beside the suit, at the foot of the bed, with her legs dangled off the side. She held the striped black tie in her hands, as she gently stroked the satin fabric. When she heard Alfred enter the room, she turned her head to hide the tears that stained her freckled cheeks. "Is she gone?"

"Yes," Alfred replied as he shut the door behind him. "All taken care of, Princess."

"Good." She wiped at her eyes, and looked at Alfred. She watched as he returned his chained key to around his neck, and tucked it back behind his shirt. She then glanced back down at her father's tie she held in her hands, "I still don't get why _you_ \- of _all_ _people_ \- have your own personal key to my Daddy's private suite."

"Well," Alfred began as he slowly walked across the massive bedroom chamber, making his way towards the girl, "I am the estate's primary caretaker, and I was always your father's..." he stopped as he stood before Princess, who looked up at him, "Right hand," he finished. He watched as Princess returned her attention to the tie in her hands, and the tears began to swell in her brown eyes once more.

As the young girl began to shake, Alfred watched her grasp around the tie grow tighter, "It's not fair, Alfred!"

"What isn't fair, Miss?"

"EVERYTHING!" she shouted as the tears began to fall once more.

Alfred stood there with a small frown. The spoiled girl had always been one to be overly dramatic, but as of late, the tears were real. They had been real tears the night of her father's accidental death, too. While the regret and heartbreak the young girl felt was genuine, it could not change what she had done. He had witnessed the act himself- Princess snapped and shot her father dead in an instant- and still, nobody knew this fact except for Alfred.

When he rushed into the room after hearing the bang of the gunshot, he half expected to be executed on the spot, as well. But Princess only clung to her father's lifeless body and cried, begging for him to not leave her- just like she used to do when she was five, and he'd try to leave on one of his lengthy business trips. The tiny girl would cling to him and scream, "You can't leave me! You can't leave me! You can't!" Only that night, her father was already gone.

Princess grasped her father's neck tie even tighter, as she began to grit her teeth, "It's all their fault..."

"Whose fault?"

"The Powerpuff Girls! Who else?!" she shouted as she jumped off the bed and onto her feet. "If it weren't for those stupid Powerpuffs, my daddy wouldn't have been building some stupid museum! If it weren't for those stupid Powerpuffs, I wouldn't have gotten so angry! I wouldn't have-" she stopped herself, as she began to feel herself shake, and she fought back more tears.

Alfred watched as the young girl stood at the foot of the bed, and gently sat down the black tie with trembling hands. She stared at the suit, quiet for a long time, and Alfred could tell that the young girl's mind was racing. His eyes drifted to the shut doorway that connected the bedroom suite to Master Morbucks's office. He wondered just what Princess was plotting next. "What would you like me to do, Princess?" he inquired after several minutes of silence.

Princess glanced at Alfred and stared. She had nobody left but him. Alfred- of all people- had helped her up to that point. Daddy had always said the man was his most loyal servant, but she was only beginning to see it for herself then. She wiped the tears from her face, and placed her hands firmly on her hips. "Find yourself a suit," she said with a determined nod.

"A suit?" Alfred raised an eyebrow as he watched her.

"Yes," she said a she continued to nod slowly, "I also need you to get my travel pistol ready. The small one that fits in my clutch. Got it?"

Alfred frowned slightly, but nodded, "Yes, Princess." He watched as the teenager straightened her posture, before turning to leave.

"We are going to that premiere tonight, Alfred," she announced as she reached the door. "And I'm going to make those Puffs pay for everything."

* * *

While Buttercup's sisters began their freshman year at Townsville High earlier that fall, Buttercup was enrolled in home study for her first semester. The Professor had been advised by several professionals that the extra time at home was best for her physical and mental recovery. It was a suggestion he gladly enacted. Having Buttercup at home for her studies was one sure way he could keep a careful eye on her. Ms. Keane was also quick to volunteer with tutoring the girl, and would see her every day after she finished with her kindergarten class.

Professor Utonium studied Buttercup from where she sat across the room at her sister Blossom's workstation. The skinny teen had her elbow rested on the desk, and her chin balanced on her sleeved hand as she stared at her laptop monitor. Her green eyes scanned the text on the screen, and Professor could see that there were dark bags underneath both her eyes. She slumped lazily in her seat, but would occasionally start to squirm as she'd rub at her eyes repeatedly with her sleeved hand.

Professor Utonium rose from his own workstation and walked over to her. Buttercup, whose eyesight had worsened in her right eye since the accident, was startled as the Professor rested his hand gently on her shoulder. "Are you feeling tired, Sweetie?"

Buttercup blinked up at him for a moment, before responding simply: "I'm fine." She tried to return her attention to her laptop, but the Professor gently lowered the screen, and closed it.

Professor Utonium frowned as he knelt down in front of her, looking straight into her obviously tired eyes, "You know, Honey," he began as he scratched his chin, "I think you should go upstairs and take a little nap before it's time to see Ms. Keane for the day. What do you say?" he gave her a small smile.

A nap was the last thing Buttercup wanted, but her research assignment was certainly putting her to sleep as it was. She nodded slowly, "OK."

As Buttercup went upstairs, she felt as if she could hardly gather enough energy to float up the staircase. She made it, but not without stumbling clumsily over the final step. While the Professor had sent her upstairs for a nap, she still refused to sleep. So she went into the bathroom across the hall, and stood over the sink faucet. She turned on the cold water, and waited for the temperature to reach its coldest before she bent forward, and submerged her face underneath the cool, running stream, hoping that the sudden chill would wake her up a little more.

Buttercup turned off the water, and lifted her head. She ran her fingers through her now drenched hair as she glanced upwards to the mirror. As her green eyes fell on her reflection, they widened as she stumbled backwards, taken a back by what she saw- or at least thought she saw.

Buttercup's reflection stared back at her with the same wet head of hair, same shocked expression, same movements, same everything, save for one thing: her scar was gone.

The skinny teenager cautiously leaned closer to her reflection, and slowly lifted her hand to touch the area of her face where her scar should have been, but stopped. As she raised her hand, she realized that it was no longer scarred either. She looked down at both her hands, and saw that they were completely as good as new. Buttercup immediately pushed up the sleeves of her jacket and discovered that the marks on her forearms were gone as well.

She was confused, but the sight of her unscathed skin brought on such a sense of relief, the tomboy couldn't help but smile. She glanced back at the mirror and started to laugh a little with her reflection, as she leaned closer once more.

Slowly, she lifted her hand to the right side of her face and gently touched her skin. As her fingers met her cheek, she stopped laughing and her smile instantly faded. Her face felt unnatural- like mud or wet clay- and as she touched her skin, her fingers sunk into her delicate flesh. Her green eyes widened with terror as she began to dig her fingers deeper into the unnatural sludge that had become her skin. As she dug further along her right cheek, she pulled away the false layer of epidermis, only to reveal her blackened scar was still there underneath.

Buttercup then looked down at her hands, and felt the slightest tingle beginning at her finger tips. She raised both her hands up while the burning sensation continued to grow. As she stared at her hands, the heat she felt intensified as the skin on her finger tips began to slowly sizzle and melt away. Buttercup shut her eyes tightly and screamed.

"Knock, knock," the Professor's voice and rapping on her shut bedroom door is what awakened Buttercup from her nightmare.

The teenager shot up from her sleep with a loud gasp. She had been lying on her bed in her bedroom, though she had no memory of how she got there, or when or how she managed to fall asleep. She instantly felt for her face, and traced the rough "V" that was still there. She then looked at both her hands- still scarred.

"Time to see Ms. Keane, Buttercup," Professor continued on the other side of the door. "Ready to go?"

Buttercup did not answer at first. She was still in a state of shock as her green eyes fell on the clock on her desk across the room: 12:41 PM. That meant she lost track of over two hours. How did that happen? "Yeah..." she finally answered the Professor as she hesitantly rose to her feet, "I'm ready."

* * *

Pokey Oaks Kindergarten was where Ms. Keane had been a school teacher for over two decades. The bright pink building which sat at the top of a grassy hill hadn't changed much over the years. Pokey Oaks Kindergarten was still considered the leading institution for primary education in the city. Ms. Keane prided herself in this fact. All of her graduating students went onto elementary school with more than a head start in their schooling. The teacher believed with all her heart that kindergarten was the most important stage of a child's education. It was where everything began, after all.

Inspiring and educating the tiny toddlers of Townsville was no easy task, however. Five-year-olds possessed wild amounts of energy and it took a lot to match them as an adult. Every day was nonstop for Ms. Keane until the bell rang at 12:30.

"Sophia, is anyone coming to pick you up today?" Ms. Keane blinked at the wall clock before walking over to the tiny green child who sat at a bright pink, toddler sized table. The rest of her students had all been picked up by their parents over twenty minutes ago when the bell rang. Ms. Keane pulled out a tiny chair and sat beside Sophia. She watched as the pint sized girl scribbled away with her apple green crayon.

"Yeah, Uncle Tyler's supposed to come," Sophia remained focused on her drawing as she responded. "Nino yelled at him over and over afore he left to work today- 'Don't forget! Don't forget!'" the tiny girl shook her head, "But he probably forgot. He's always forgettin' stuff. Nino says he's a dope."

"I see..." Ms. Keane said. Her blue eyes fell on the window and saw a familiar white station wagon pull into the parking lot. She returned her attention to Sophia, "Well, I suppose if your uncle doesn't remember, I can take you home myself. But first I have a student that I teach for a couple of hours. Will you be OK sitting here until then with your crayons?"

The little girl gave her a bright big smile, "Yeah!"

Ms. Keane smiled as she stood from her seat just as Professor Utonium and Buttercup arrived. "Hello, Professor! Hello, Buttercup!"

"Hello, Ms. Keane!" Professor greeted in return. His eyes fell on Sophia, "Are we too early?"

"No, no," Ms. Keane said, "Sophia's guardian is just running a little late today, that's all." She turned her attention to Buttercup who stood a step behind her father, "How are you today, Dear?"

"Fine," the response was automatic every time.

Professor Utonium gave Buttercup a small pat on the back as he turned to leave, "I'll see you in a couple of hours, Buttercup-"

"Oh, Professor," Ms. Keane followed after him, "May I have a quick discussion with you before you go?"

Professor paused at the doorway, "Of course, Ms. Keane."

Ms. Keane smiled at Buttercup, "I'll be right back, Dear."

Buttercup watched as Ms. Keane escorted the Professor to their family station wagon. The pair stood in the empty parking lot and had their talk. Buttercup had no doubts that the discussion Ms. Keane wished to have was about her. She had grown used to the fact that everyone in her life seemed to always be talking about her- What's wrong? What can we do? Is she any better yet?- it was always the same.

As Buttercup faced the window and watched Ms. Keane and the Professor, she heard a tiny voice shout: "Heyyy! I know you!"

Buttercup glanced at the little girl who still sat in her assigned classroom seat. She pointed at Buttercup with her green crayon in hand, "Your my nino's friend with the weird name- Buttercup!"

Buttercup turned to face Sophia, and as she did, her tiny brown eyes widened, " _Woah_! You got a tattoo!"

Buttercup blinked back at the small, green kid, and slowly began to remember, "Oh... So...phie? ...Right?"

" _Sophia_ ," she corrected with a giggle, "Hey can I ask you something?!"

Buttercup remained where she was, and watched as Sophia bounced excitedly in her seat as she waited for an answer. "Um... sure..."

"Did your tattoo hurt?" Sophia asked innocently as she pointed at the scar on Buttercup's face. "Um, 'Cause one time, I went to my abuela's house, and my uncle was getting a tattoo and he was crying! Like a whole bunch! He was like ' _Ow-ow-ow-ow-ow-ow-ow_!' And it was a _tiiiny_ tattoo like this-" the five-year-old pinched her stubby fingers together as she giggled. "But your tattoo is _ginormous_!"

Buttercup nodded her head a long as she followed the kindergartner's nonstop bouncing. She slowly raised her hand to touch her scar as she realized what Sophia was referring to, "Oh, this... isn't..." Buttercup's voice trailed off before she could finish. She wasn't sure how to explain something like that to a child. She shook her head as she walked over to Sophia and stopped at the table behind hers. "Yeah," she answered finally. "It hurt."

Sophia faced backwards in her chair as she watched Buttercup sit down at the table behind hers. "Ms. Kean is your teacher, too?" she asked curiously.

Buttercup nodded.

"I like her!" Sophia said as she continued to bounce up and down, "I think she's super nice! Do you think she's super nice?"

Buttercup nodded again.

"Yo, Sophia! You still here?!" Sophia and Buttercup both turned their heads as they heard someone shout from the doorway as they entered the building.

Buttercup watched as the tiny girl quickly scrambled to shove her drawings into her blue Scooby Doo-themed backpack, " _Finally_!" Sophia shouted back in return, "Nino's gonna be _sooo_ mad when I tell him you forgot again!" the little girl lectured as she marched up to Tyler.

Tyler knelt down and gave the small girl a pat on her head as he grinned, "How about if we stop and get ice cream then this stays between me and you?"

The five-year-old giggled, "OK, deal!" She turned around and waved joyfully at Buttercup, "Bye, Buttercup!"

Tyler then noticed the tall teenager who sat quietly across the room. Like every citizen of Townsville, he was aware of who Buttercup was. Tyler had never been a personal fan of the Powerpuff Girls, but Ace vouched for the green Puff after he invited her to one of their shows. That night as his band played, he watched one skinny, raven-haired kid with unmatched energy go nonstop in the mosh pit that night, and he was shocked to learn afterwards from Ace that that kid was Buttercup. He had been meaning to shake her hand since.

Tyler walked up to Buttercup with an outstretched hand and wide grin, "Yo, Buttercup! What's up, Man?" It was only when Tyler got closer, that he could see the right side of her face from where she sat. The scar was jarring, and there was no hiding his reaction. He flinched slightly, and his smile faded for a moment, but he kept his hand out towards her as he stammered on, "Y-yeah, Dude, I ain't never seen someone go over two straight hours in the pit before with no breaks. Y-you're pretty wild, Man!"

Buttercup was taken a back by the young man's open attitude. It took a moment for her to recognize him as the guitarist for Ace's band. "Oh... hey..." her green eyes fell on his still outstretched hand and she hesitantly reached for it.

Tyler couldn't help but flinch again once he saw the girl's scarred hand, but he grasped it anyway. "Tyler," he introduced himself with a nervous gulp.

"Hey," Buttercup gulped as well. It was an awkward meeting, for sure, but it was always awkward any time someone saw her scars for the first time.

"Well," Tyler began after a while, "Time to go, Soph." He smiled weakly at Buttercup. She avoided eye contact with him and seemed to tug on her jacket's sleeves to hide her hands once more. He wondered what could have happened to her since last he saw her, and he felt pity for her. "Eh, you should come to another show some time, Dude."

Buttercup looked at Tyler and nodded slowly, "OK... yeah... maybe..."

Tyler nodded back in return as he took Sophia's hand in his, "Cool. Well... see ya."

Buttercup watched as the two walked away hand in hand. As they reached the door, Ms. Keane greeted them with a cheerful smile, "Oh, Sophia your uncle's here at last!" she chuckled as she held the door open for them and waved as they left, "Have a great weekend!"

"Bye, Ms. Keane!" Sophia shouted.

Ms. Keane walked over to where Buttercup sat. The short woman wore a giant grin as she stood before her. "Do I have a surprise for you today!" she clapped her hands together in excitement.

Buttercup stared back at her with a confused expression. Ms. Keane could get a little excited over their lessons from time to time, but she seemed extra animated that day. She watched as Ms. Keane hurried over to her teacher's desk and retrieved a cardboard box from her bottom drawer.

"Your father asked me to review these and suggest what may or may not be appropriate for you," Ms. Keane said as she carried the box over to the table where Buttercup sat. "And I'll be honest, Buttercup, a lot of this stuff I have to agree is a bit much for a thirteen-year-old." Ms. Keane opened the flaps to the cardboard box so Buttercup could see inside- it was her old music collection that the Professor had confiscated months ago and had yet to return.

Ms. Keane smiled as she picked up a CD from the box, "But, Buttercup, I also have to admit that you actually have some pretty good taste in music."

Buttercup stared at Ms. Keane, unsure if she heard her correctly, "What?"

Ms. Keane chuckled, "Dear, most of this stuff came out when _I_ was in college!" she waved the Dead Kennedys CD in her hand, "This is exactly what I listened to as I crammed for my finals!"

Buttercup raised a suspicious eyebrow, "No way..."

Ms. Keane smirked at the skeptical teenager. "I thought you'd say that!" she said as she shuffled back to her teacher's desk, and retrieved something from her top drawer. "So, I brought proof!" She hurried back to Buttercup with an eager smile as she handed her an old Polaroid photograph.

Buttercup took the photograph in her hand and studied it. In the photo there was a much younger Ms. Keane with wildly frizzy black hair. Her bangs were long and covered both her eyes. She wore a leather studded jacket with a Ramones t-shirt and leopard print pants. A man with a spiky, red Mohawk stood next to her, with one arm around her waist and his other hand flipping the bird to the camera. Slowly the smallest of smiles swept Buttercup's face, "Ms. Keane," she shook her head as she laughed a little, "You were a punk?"

Buttercup looked up at Ms. Keane who shrugged innocently and smiled, "I was young once." She returned to Buttercup and took the seat beside her. She watched as the teenager stared at the photo with a smile; it had been a while since she seen an expression like that from her.

"I know what it's like to feel frustrated, Buttercup," Ms. Keane began. "And I get how validating and good it can feel to have those frustrations heard in music like this. So, I spoke to the Professor, and he's agreed to let you have your music back, under one condition." Buttercup looked at Ms. Keane, and Ms. Keane continued, "From this Friday forward, every Friday you and I will pick one album to listen to. Then, you'll write me an essay about it. Once I feel like you've grasped the subject material well enough, then I'll return the album to you. Sound like a deal?"

Buttercup smirked a little more, "Yeah."

Ms. Keane could not help but wrap her arms around Buttercup in a tight hug. She considered her and her sisters to be like the daughters she never had. Even though it was the tiniest of smiles, seeing Buttercup express a positive reaction for the first time in months brought on a strong wave of emotions for Ms. Keane, and smothering the girl in a tight embrace was all she could do to remedy it.

At first, Buttercup kept still as Ms. Keane hugged her. The tomboy had never been one for physical touch, but the sudden embrace sparked an unexpected wave of emotions in her also. Slowly, she raised her own arms and returned the hug to Ms. Keane. As Buttercup embraced the mentor she had known all her life, she felt herself, for the first time in an age, breathe deeply and fully. For the first time, in a long time, she was free of her fears. For the first time, in a long time, Buttercup felt peace.

* * *

The final bell for the day rang at 3:15 PM for the students of Townsville High School. Blossom and Bubbles shared the same freshman English class at the end of the day, and left together as soon as the bell sounded. Across the street from their high school was the intermediate school they attended the year prior. Townsville Intermediate's classes ended just fifteen minutes before theirs, and every day their best friend Robin would wait outside the high school's gates so that they could walk home together. Even though they weren't in the same grade anymore, Robin still made a point to try to see her best friends daily.

As Blossom and Bubbles walked down the steps of their school's entrance, they were stopped by a group of kids from the senior class, "Hey, Blossom and Bubbles! Can we get your autograph?"

The two Powerpuffs stopped as their peers surrounded them on the steps. Each student held one of the many fliers that had been posted throughout the school that day. It was an advertisement for that night's premiere. Like all advertisements for the event, the photographs they used of the girls were dated, but it wasn't as if any of them had been in the mood for any more photo shoots as of late.

Both Bubbles and Blossom had grown used to the random requests for autographs. They made fast work of signing each of the glossy ads, as they greeted each of their peers one by one. As Blossom signed the final poster, she overheard a question being asked of Bubbles that she had grown personally tired of: "Hey, where's Buttercup?"

"Yeah, why doesn't she come to school with you guys?" another student asked.

Bubbles replied with her usual simple and truthful answer, "She's homeschooling this semester, but she'll start school here with us next semester."

"Why? Is she like not as smart as you two or something?" another student laughed a little.

Blossom's pink eyes instantly narrowed on the girl who laughed and she spoke up quickly, "No, actually it's a health thing, OK?"

Before any of the students could respond, Blossom pushed past the group and continued down the steps at a moderate hover. Bubbles quickly followed her, but kept quiet. She would be lying if she said the rumors that circulated around her absent sister did not bother her a little, too. As they reached the front gates of the school, they found Robin leaning against the fence waiting for them.

Both Blossom and Bubbles gasped at the same time as they reached the same realization together.

"You didn't tell her?"

"I thought you were gonna tell her!"

"No, Bubbles," Blossom sighed, "I asked _you_ to tell her, remember?"

Robin turned to face her friends as soon as they came out from the gate, "Hey!" she greeted them with a cheerful smile, "How was school, guys?"

"Hey," Blossom and Bubbles said with weak smiles. Blossom began, "I'm sorry, Robin, Bubbles and I meant to tell you but we forgot."

"Forgot to tell me what?" Robin asked.

"We have the grand opening tonight, and the Professor's supposed to pick us up today so we can go straight there," Bubbles said.

"Yeah," Blossom frowned a little, "So, I'm afraid we can't walk home with you today."

"Oh," Robin frowned as well. "Well... that's OK."

The three girls' eyes fell on a white station wagon that waited at the end of the block.

"Do you wanna come with us?" Bubbles suggested. An idea crossed her mind and she smiled big, "You can curl my hair and help us get ready backstage!"

Robin's teal eyes lit up a little, "Really? I wouldn't be in the way or anything?"

Blossom smiled, "No way. It'd be nice to have you there."

"OK then!" Robin stood between the two girls and linked her arms with theirs as she beamed, "Let's go!"

The three girls giggled as they skipped in unison to the Professor's car, where he and Buttercup waited. Professor's eyes fell on his rear view mirror as he watched the trio approach. He chuckled to Buttercup who sat in the backseat, directly behind him, "I should have known Robin would tag along for the day."

Buttercup rested her head against the window beside her, and her eyes fell on the car's side mirror where she could see her sisters skipping happily with Robin. Buttercup frowned as she forced herself to sit up straight once more. As she sat up, she felt a headache suddenly and she winced a little.

As the three girls reached the car, Bubbles automatically slid into the passenger seat. "Hi, Buttercup! Hi, Professor! Professor, Robin can come with us to the premiere, right? I want her to curl my hair just how I like it tonight!"

"Of course," the Professor replied, "Robin's always welcome!"

Blossom and Robin halted for a moment outside the car. Blossom smiled weakly at Robin, "I can sit in the middle-"

"I'm shorter," Robin said, "I can sit in the middle. It's fine." She opened the rear door and slid into the back seat beside Buttercup, and Blossom followed after her.

As Robin slid into the back she greeted Buttercup quietly, "Hey." The brunette slid across the white leather seat without looking at her.

"Hey," Buttercup answered back, just as quiet. She glanced over to Robin and saw that she had stopped just before she made any physical contact with her.

"Hello, Professor," Robin greeted next.

"Hello, Robin!"

As Blossom shut the door and fastened her seat belt, Robin remained huddled closer to Blossom's side, as she still avoided looking at Buttercup. The tomboy couldn't help but notice that Robin seemed to have no problem leaning against Blossom, yet she seemed to treat Buttercup like she was contagious.

"Hey, Buttercup," Blossom tried to greet her sister next, "How was your-" she stopped as she watched her sister turn her head away from her as she placed two earbuds in her ears, and turned up her music. "...day," she finished quietly to herself.

"Is everyone buckled up safely?" Professor Utonium asked as he began the car's engine.

Blossom, Robin and Bubbles answered, "Yeah."

As the Professor pulled their car into the road, he cheered, "Next stop: The Discovery Dome!"

* * *

The Discovery Dome's grand opening was set to happen several hours later that night, but the Utonium family was asked to arrive early. They had a lot of details to review for the opening ceremony that would kick off the premiere. Professor Utonium and his Powerpuff Girls were to be the main attraction of the museum and the event that night. The museum tickets were sold out, as well as the overflow at Townsville Stadium. There would also be a live broadcast on television. Truly, every Powerpuff Girl fan would be watching.

As their family station wagon pulled into the empty parking lot of the volcano-top museum, they could see a crowd of eager museum employees who waited at the very top of the escalator steps. The small crowd began to cheer and applaud as they watched the super hero team ascend the escalator slowly. The Professor led the way up, followed by Blossom and Robin just a step behind him, and Bubbles and Buttercup just behind them.

As they rode the escalator upward, Buttercup's eyes fell on the colorfully painted museum which was once Mojo Jojo's observatory. She had seen it before, and gone through the initial shock of the drastic renovations that were done to the villain's lair, but somehow it felt just as strange as it did the first time she saw it.

"This is kinda weird," Bubbles whispered quietly to Buttercup as they neared the top of the escalator. Buttercup glanced at her. "Right?" Bubbles asked again.

Buttercup nodded, but said nothing as she and Bubbles stepped off the escalator together. The dozen or so of Discovery Dome employees cleared a path for the girls and the Professor as they continued through the museum entrance together. A smaller staff waited just on the other side of the entrance, and one of them stepped forward as they announced: "Welcome to the Discovery Dome, Professor Utonium and Powerpuff Girls!"

The group stood there for a moment as they gazed around the massive lobby area, taking in their surroundings. There was a temporary stage set up against the far curved wall, with a massive pink, green and blue backdrop, illuminated by plentiful stage lights. There were already teams of camera men setting up their equipment along the edge of the great stage. The lobby held the majority of seating for those who would be in attendance, with some overflow into the main hallway which led to the museum's separate exhibit halls and rooms.

The four girls fell a step behind the Professor as he shook hands with the museum curator who began to lead them towards the stage. "It's so great to finally meet you all! We're all very excited for tonight!" he spoke cheerfully as he glanced over his shoulders at the girls, "I've heard rumors on how tall Blossom was in person," he chuckled as he spotted the redhead who had him beat by several inches, "now I finally get to see for myself!"

Blossom smiled, but said nothing. The museum curator next looked at Robin by her side, "And Buttercup, you've changed your hair! It looks great!"

Robin blushed a little, "Oh, I'm not Buttercup-"

"That's our best friend, Robin," Bubbles corrected the man as she linked arms with Buttercup to her right, who avoided looking directly at the curator herself.

"Oh," the man stopped as his eyes finally fell on Buttercup and realized his mistake. He laughed nervously, "Sorry. My mistake." He cleared his throat, before he called out to a woman who waited at the foot of the stage, "Fiona! Will you show the Powerpuff Girls their dressing room for the evening? I'm sure they'll love for you to get started on their hair and makeup," he smiled weakly at Buttercup as she passed by him with her sisters. "Professor, please come with me and I'll show you where you'll be delivering your speech."

Robin, Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup followed the young makeup artist towards an area beyond the stage which led to the museum's gift shop. "Sorry," she apologized as she walked with the girls through the gift shop, "I guess they don't have a lot of rooms here that aren't devoted to exhibits, so they had to improvise with the storage room for the gift shop."

The girls eyes fell on the rows upon rows of Powerpuff merchandise as they traversed through the tightly packed gift shop. As if the hundreds of plushies, action figures, and apparel weren't enough, once they followed Fiona into the storage room, there were hundreds more still packed away in boxes.

At the center of the room, there was a clothing rack where their three uniforms hung waiting for them. Behind that, three chairs labeled with "Blossom," "Bubbles," and "Buttercup," were spaced evenly in front of three vanity mirrors. The young make up artist walked over to the first station on the left where Buttercup's seat was designated. "How about we start with you, Buttercup?" the woman asked with a forced smile.

Blossom and Bubbles cringed. They knew their tomboy sibling had never been a fan of wearing makeup. They were used to having to deal with the beauty treatments during photo shoots, but this was the first live event they had attended where they had a similar thing. Bubbles and Blossom exchanged nervous glances as they next watched their sister who stared at the woman blankly for a moment.

Buttercup's eyes then fell on her reflection in the mirror, and she frowned. She knew why the woman wanted to start with her first. It was obvious, wasn't it? The teenager slowly made her way over to the chair, and sat down without a word.

Blossom stared with her jaw agape as she watched the makeup artist reach for her first palette of colors and picked up her brush. Her sister Buttercup sat in the chair, emotionless, as she stared at her own reflection and braced for the impact of the cosmetic brush.

"Wait," Blossom said just as the woman was about to raise her makeup brush to her sibling's cheek. "Buttercup... you don't want to wear any make up tonight... do you?"

The woman lowered her brush and blinked at Blossom before turning to Buttercup who said nothing, and only kept her eyes forward on her reflection. "Well," Fiona began nervously, "I would suggest maybe just some light coverup-"

"She doesn't like wearing makeup," Blossom interrupted with a serious tone. "Right, Buttercup?"

Buttercup said nothing, and the makeup artist stood there confused. After a minute of silence, she dipped her brush back into the light colored concealer in her hand and sighed deeply. "Well, I think she'd look a little better if we-"

Blossom stepped forward and spoke louder, "I said _wait_ , lady!"

"Look," the makeup artist began as she faced the redheaded teen, "She didn't say no-"

"She doesn't have to," Blossom interrupted sternly once more, "She's my sister. I know her, and I know she doesn't want the stupid makeup, OK?" Blossom's eyes fell on Buttercup's reflection in the mirror, and noticed that her green eyes met hers for the first time in months. Blossom gave her sister a small smile, before she placed her hands on her hips and looked at the woman seriously again, "In fact, none of us do. We brought Robin along as our stylist for the evening. So maybe you can check on the Professor, and see if he needs any help. We're fine here."

The young woman stared at each of the girls with a shocked expression, before she sat down her makeup brush and palette, and left with a simple, "OK."

Once she was gone, Blossom returned her attention to Buttercup who still watched her through the mirror. Blossom smiled weakly at Buttercup, who looked like she was just about to finally say something to her, when Robin interrupted.

"Oh my God, Blossom!" Robin cheered loudly as she began to clap, "That was so cool!"

Blossom blushed slightly, "R-really?"

"Yeah! You totally told her off!"

"Well, I wouldn't go that far," Blossom spoke bashfully. She looked back at Buttercup, but the tomboy had already looked away from her.

Robin grabbed Blossom by the hand and led her to her own chair at the center, "And she left all her stuff behind!" Robin grinned at the dozens of shades of colors spread throughout the station. "Let's get started!" she giggled as she fished around for a clean brush among the station.

Blossom sat down in her seat, and closed her eyes as Robin began to paint her cheeks with the lightest shade of pink blush.

Buttercup tried not to look at the two of them, as she began to feel sick. The skinny teen grasped her forehead as she felt another sharp migraine coming on, and winced.

Bubbles came to Buttercup's side as soon as she noticed the reaction, "Hey," she whispered gently to her sister, "You OK?"

Buttercup glanced at Bubbles and slowly nodded.

Bubbles frowned. Her blue eyes drifted beyond Buttercup to Blossom and Robin some several feet away. They seemed wrapped up in their own conversation as Robin continued to paint Blossom's face, so Bubbles continued to whisper to Buttercup, "You can tell me," Bubbles squeaked softly, "What's wrong?"

Buttercup looked at Bubbles and spoke just as quietly, "I feel... bad."

"Bad like how?"

Buttercup shook her head as she felt another sharp headache, "I... dunno..." as she grasped her head again, she felt a strange twitch in her hand.

"Me and Buttercup are gonna go to the bathroom real quick," Bubbles announced as she gently linked arms with Buttercup and pulled her down from her seat. "Be right back," she said to Blossom and Robin as she escorted Buttercup from the room.

Buttercup floated along with Bubbles back to the gift shop area of the museum. As soon as they were alone, Bubbles asked her sister the same question, "What's wrong, Buttercup?"

Buttercup shook her head, "Nothing," she insisted, "Just... Robin, I guess..."

Bubbles frowned. "What about her?"

"Nothing," Buttercup shook her head again, "It's nothing."

"No, it isn't," Bubbles frowned even more. "Tell me."

Buttercup's gaze traveled across the gift shop as a hundred tiny versions of herself stared back at her, "She... doesn't even look at me anymore." Buttercup finally looked at Bubbles as she continued to speak low, despite them being alone. "She won't look at me. She thinks I'm hideous now."

Bubbles shook her head quickly, " _No, no, no_!" she tried to wrap her arms around Buttercup, but she turned away as she came near. Bubbles halted, and her bright blue eyes started to glisten a little. "Buttercup, it's not that!" she continued behind her glossy eyes, "I swear, OK? Robin does _not_ think your hideous!"

"Yeah, right-"

"Buttercup, I'm serious! I know it isn't that!"

"How do you know something like that?" Buttercup stared at Bubbles whose blue eyes only continued to water.

The blue Powerpuff trembled a little as she tried to fight back her tears. She slowly floated towards her sister once more and reattempted a hug. Buttercup surrendered and allowed the short girl to wrap her arms around her as she wept quietly on her shoulder, "If I tell you something, do you promise not to get mad at me?"

Buttercup didn't answer at first. She felt her sister's hold tighten around her. "...Ok... fine... what is it?"

Bubbles pulled away from Buttercup and wiped at her eyes. The blonde took a deep breath before she blurted out her confession in a single breath: " _After-your-accident-you-weren't-talking-for-days-and-I-was-really-scared-that-maybe-you-won't-ever-talk-again-and-so-I-kept-trying-to-cheer-you-up-but-nothing-would-work-and-so-I-thought-if-I-just-told-Robin-that-you-liked-her-then-she-would-say-'Hey-I-really-like-Buttercup-too'and-then-she-could-be-your-girlfriend-and-then-it-would-make-you-happy-and-you-would-finally-be-better-but-instead-Robin-said-'Actually-I-really-like-this-boy-in-my-karate-class'and-ever-since-I-told-her-that-you-liked-her-she-said-she-feels-weird-around-you-because-she-knows-that-you-secretly-like-her-and-so-thats-why-she's-avoiding-you-and-it's-not-because-she-thinks-you're-ugly-it's-all-because-of-me-and-it's-all-my-fault_!"

Buttercup stared as Bubbles buried her head in her hands and wept. It took a full minute for the loaded statement to fully settle in her mind. "You... told Robin that... I _liked her?_!" as Buttercup finished the sentence, she raised her voice for the first time in an age. The teen's voice cracked a little as she continued to shout, "Why the hell did you do that?!"

"I'm sorry!" Bubbles pleaded as she threw her arms around her sister once more, "I was just _so_ desperate to cheer you up somehow, and you know how when I get ideas I just say them out loud! I just blurted it out one day! It was an accident! I really really thought she liked you too! I swear I just wanted you to get better, Buttercup! I'm _so_ _sorry_!"

Buttercup felt herself start to shake from her rising emotions. She hadn't felt so many things at once before, and she didn't know how to handle it. Her sister clung to her with all her might as she continued to sob. Buttercup gritted her teeth as she tried to push everything inside her back down. She remained completely still as Bubbles hugged her tighter and tighter.

" _Please_ , Buttercup," she begged as she squeezed with all her might, "Please, _please_ forgive me!"

Buttercup swallowed hard. She felt her hands twitch at her sides, and her head throbbed horribly as she closed her eyes. She wasn't sure what she was feeling, but she felt like it was all too much to handle. She had already been fighting exhaustion all day, and now this. Bubbles still cried on her shoulder as Buttercup fought against the urge to scream. She took a deep breath, and eventually forced herself to say slowly and calmly: "It's... _OK_."

Bubbles pulled away from Buttercup at last and blinked up at her. "R-really?"

Buttercup nodded slowly, but said nothing more. Bubbles hugged her again, and this time, Buttercup slowly raised her arms, and hugged her back a little.

"I love you, Buttercup," Bubbles said as she continued to hold onto her, "You know that, right?" When she didn't hear an answer, the short girl only tightened her embrace, " _Right_?" she repeated.

Buttercup breathed deeply once more as she forced herself to answer, "Right."

* * *

As Princess stepped from the back of her stretched limousine, her eyes fell on the Discovery Dome for the first time. Her nose crinkled in disgust at the sight of the offensive Powerpuff themed attraction. " _Eugh!_ " she shuttered a little as she she waited for Alfred to shut the door and join her by her side. "If Monkey Boy was around to see this, he'd lose his mind." She turned to Alfred, "Do you have everything I asked for inside my clutch?"

Alfred joined Princess by her side and patted the glittery, gold sequin bag he guarded safely under his arm, "Yes, Princess."

Princess grinned deviously, "Good. Hand it here," she held out her hand.

Alfred hesitated, but slowly handed over the bag to the short girl.

Princess tucked her clutch under her arm, as she straightened her posture and began to march forward, "Let's go then, Alfred."

It was still hours before the scheduled event that night, and Princess and Alfred were the first to arrive other than the event coordinators, staff and participants themselves. Security was still setting up the majority of their check points just outside the museum's lengthy elevator entrance. The first station was ready, however, and was manned by Ace for the night.

"Show don't start for another two hours," Ace announced as he watched Princess and Alfred approach his gate.

Princess snapped her fingers at Alfred who instantly produced their tickets to Ace. "I believe our VIP passes allow us access backstage," Princess said, "And I wanted to pay my friends, the Powerpuff Girls, a little visit before everything begins."

Ace studied the tickets for a moment before returning them to Alfred, "Hey that's nice of ya, Kid. Glad you girls got that hatchet buried after all these years." He moved the barrier outside his gate so that the pair could pass through, but still stood in their path with a wand metal detector in hand, "Just gotta check ya first, of course."

Princess glanced at Alfred, "Alfred?"

Alfred next produced a small, white card and handed it to Ace.

Ace took the card in his hand, and lowered his shades as he read to himself: "The bearer of this card is hereby certified as a metallic implant patient-" Ace handed the card back to Alfred,"No shit?!" he held the wand up towards Princess and it started to beep loudly, "Well, alright, then," he shrugged as he handed the card back to Alfred.

Princess smiled a little as she began to walk forward, as she did, the device in Ace's hand sounded loudly as the clutch in her hand passed near.

"Hold up," Ace stopped her again. "Gotta check the bag, Princess."

Princess's eyes narrowed for a moment, but she stopped herself. She sighed a little as she offered her bag to him freely. "It was probably just my money clip inside. You need a rather large one to hold ten grand, after all. If it's a problem, of course, you can just confiscate it for yourself."

Princess watched Ace closely as he took the bag and peered inside. His dark shades hid his eyes from Princess, but she imagined they had grown pretty wide from what he saw. She, of course, told Alfred to pack her gun, but she also instructed him to place a sizeable cash bribe for security- just in case.

"Go on," Princess continued with a sly smirk, "It's just loose change. Take the clip and whatever's with it. I really don't mind."

Ace nodded slowly as he seemed to weigh his options for a moment. The man then lowered his glasses a little as he glanced around. Coast was clear. He reached inside the bag and swiftly grabbed the giant wad of cash for himself. He quickly stashed it inside his black security jacket, and offered the bag back to Princess. "Yeah, I guess that'll take care of it," he said as he stepped aside, "You're good to go."

Princess and Alfred ascended the elevator together. As they entered the building, Princess's dark brown eyes immediately narrowed on her target who stood, alone on stage as he rehearsed his speech- Professor Utonium. The short girl grabbed Alfred by his hand and quickly led him to a spot behind a nearby structure. There weren't a lot of people around inside the lobby at the time, but Princess knew she would have to stay hidden if she had any chance at getting away with this.

As Alfred ducked behind Princess, he kept quiet while she plotted her next move. She watched as several nearby workers began to leave down the museum's main hall, and knew that that was her moment. "Stay here, Alfred," she instructed as she quickly ran for the stage.

As soon as Princess reached the side of the stage, she ducked low to shield herself from being seen by Professor Utonium. The scientist paced back and forth as he reviewed a stack of index cards. Princess peered over the side of the stage and watched him. Her eyes searched the room for any possible witnesses. There weren't any that she could see.

A crooked smile swept her face as she reached for her pistol inside her bag. She took the gun in hand, and released the safety. Her beady eyes narrowed even more on the Professor as she carefully took aim. "How's _this_ for revenge, Powerpukes?" Princess spoke to herself as she savored the moment her finger slowly released the trigger.

A click sounded, but nothing happened.

Princess ducked back down quickly and blinked at the faulty weapon in her hands with confusion. She quickly checked the gun's chamber and discovered that there were no bullets. Her eyes narrowed once more as she tossed her empty pistol back into her bag, "That no good, greasy haired gangster sabotaged me!"

Princess instantly began to march back towards the entrance. As she passed through, Alfred hurried after her.

" _You_!" Princess shouted as soon as she stepped off the elevator and spotted Ace still at his station. "You took my bullets, _you bastard_!"

" _Woah_ , _woah_ ," Ace threw up his hands in defense as the short girl stood before him, seething with anger. He reached into his jacket as he felt around for something, "All I took was what was in the money clip, just like you asked me. The clip, the dough, and this note," he handed a small slip of paper to Princess.

"What note?" she grabbed it from Ace and read the handwritten note: "Don't worry. There are no bullets. Thank you for your cooperation."

Princess gritted her teeth as she grasped the note in her hands. "I recognize this stupid, fluttery penmanship anywhere," she crumpled the sheet of paper in her hands and threw it against the ground. Her eyes fell on Alfred who had continued past security on his own, and casually walked back towards their parked limousine in the parking lot.

The short redhead hurried after the butler and yelled after him, " _Alfred_! Why the hell did you sabotage my brilliant scheme?! What is wrong with you?!"

Alfred halted as soon as he reached the parking lot and turned to face Princess. He remained calm as the girl continued to scream at him.

" _Well?_!" she demanded.

"My apologies, Princess," Alfred said, "I must have forgotten the bullets."

"You did _not_ forget them! You purposely left them out so that my plan would fail! I'm not an idiot, Alfred! I saw your stupid note!" Princess shook as she screamed at the top of her lungs, " _YOU'RE FIRED_!"

Alfred raised a single eyebrow at the young teen, before he cleared his throat, and said simply, "Very well."

Princess stared blankly as she watched the butler casually stroll past their limo, and began to walk off on his own. "Where are you going?!" she shouted after him, " _Hello?_! I need a ride home!" When the man didn't stop, Princess had no choice but to chase after him. "Alfred, I said: _I need a ride home!_ "

"Oh?" Alfred said as he continued to walk, "Do you?"

"Yes! I do!" Princess continued to hurry along beside him.

"You could call for a taxi, maybe?"

"OK, _well_ , then call one for me!"

"You need me to do that, too?"

"Well, _yeah_!" Princess yelled, " _I_ don't know how to!"

Alfred said nothing further to her. He just kept walking. Princess stopped in her tracks and watched as he continued to walk away from her as if he did not care. She was just angry, but now she was beginning to feel desperate.

She ran after him once more, "Alfred, come back! You're not fired OK?! I take it back! _Alfred, stop! I need you!_ "

Finally, Alfred stopped. He turned and faced Princess as she ran up to him. "Miss, you need me for a lot of things," he began. He held up his hand and began to count on his fingers, "You need me to drive you. You need me to walk your dog. You need me to fire the other employees. You need me to manage your finances and to tell your father's business partners that he is on _vacation_..." he paused as his eyes met Princess's before he continued. "And of course, you need me to _clean your messes_." He sighed deeply, "Well, forgive me, Princess, if this was just one more mess I was trying to avoid having to clean for you."

Princess gulped quietly as she listened to Alfred. Normally, she would never stand for that sort of behavior from him, but at that moment, she still felt desperate for his return. So, for once, she kept her mouth shut.

"Do you know why I do these things for you, Princess?" Alfred asked her next.

Princess shook her head. She watched as Alfred reached into his vest pocket and retrieved a leather-bound wallet. He handed it to Princess, and she took it. She opened the thin wallet, and the first thing she saw was a photograph positioned behind the first plastic sleeve inside.

The photo was of Alfred, her father, and her when she was just four years old. It was the day she was adopted. The first thing her daddy did was take her and Alfred to Disneyland. In the photograph, Princess stood between Alfred and her father just outside the gates of the amusement park. Princess was still dressed in the plain t-shirt and tattered jeans she left the group home in that day.

"Those ventures were always too brief and all too far between," Alfred continued as Princess still stared at the photograph, "But you know your father was such a busy man, and he tried... Family, I think had always been a foreign concept to him... Affection just did not come naturally, but he _did_ try. That's why he wanted to adopt you so badly, after all."

Princess felt her eyes begin to water. She rubbed at her eyes as she looked up to Alfred, and slowly handed his wallet back to him.

"We had some fun times though, didn't we?" Alfred smiled a little as he took the wallet from her.

" _Alfred_..." Princess's voice trailed off as she watched the man return his wallet to his vest pocket. She had always treated him like just a servant, but for the first time then, she looked at the butler in an entirely new light. He had been there for her, longer than anyone else. And he was right. While family vacations were a rarity, when they did happen, it was always just the three of them. Princess only just realized then that they had been a family that whole time. A family that she destroyed with a single bullet.

"It was an accident, Alfred..."

"I know, Princess." Alfred offered his hand to Princess, and she took it. "Let's get going before the swarms of crazy Puff fans arrive, shall we?"

Princess walked beside Alfred as she held his hand in hers, "But what about my revenge?"

"Shooting before thinking is what got you into this mess. I promised your father that I would look after you if anything were to happen. I intend to."

"So, how do I get even?"

"I'm sure you'll think of something, Princess," Alfred said as they reached the limousine at last. "But as your father would say: Good plans take a lot of time, and a lot of work." He reached for the black vehicle's rear door handle and smiled at Princess as he opened the door for her, "For now, let's go home."

* * *

Buttercup sat by herself in the corner of the dimly lit storage room, resting on a large box of unopened Powerpuff merchandise. She was dressed in her Powerpuff Girl uniform, and as ready as she could be for the premiere. It was set to begin in just several more minutes. She was still experiencing random migraines from time to time, but Buttercup assumed it was due to her lack of sleep. She was still very tired, and the boredom of waiting around for the opening ceremony to begin was not helping.

Buttercup's eyes fell on Bubbles who spoke quietly with Robin at the other end of the room. The tomboy used her super hearing to eavesdrop on the two for a moment, but when she heard them discussing the boy in Robin's karate class Bubbles referred to earlier, she lost interest.

Blossom had left to check on the status of things backstage, and when she returned she brought someone back with her, "Look who I found!" she announced as she opened the door to the storage space.

Ms. Keane walked in as Blossom held the door open for her. The short woman held three bouquets of flowers in her arms. She handed the first to Blossom as she grinned big, "What an exciting night!" She approached Buttercup next and sat the daisy flower arrangement on the skinny teen's lap, "I just wanted to pop back here and wish you girls good luck!"

Bubbles squealed with joy as she received her flowers from Ms. Keane. "Thanks, Ms. Keane!"

Buttercup wasn't very interested in flowers, but as Ms. Keane returned to her side and sat down on another box next to her, she quietly thanked her, "Thanks."

Her teacher reached over with one hand and tousled her shaggy black hair lovingly. "You'll do just fine out there," she spoke as if she were talking to all three of them, but Buttercup saw that she looked at her specifically.

"Thanks, Ms. Keane," Blossom said. She looked at each of her sister's next. "It's time to head backstage, girls."

"Come on, Robin," Ms. Keane said as she stood, "Let's go find our seats."

As the super hero team left together and reached the entrance to the gift shop, they couldn't yet see the massive crowd of fans who waited eagerly in their seats that surrounded the stage. They had dimmed the lights in the lobby where the audience was, but the stage itself was bright. The museum curator waited for the girls just outside the gift shop, and he led them next to the area behind the stage.

Professor Utonium was already giving his presentation at the podium which sat at the far left end of the stage. The girls were supposed to enter stage right. Their cue would be a one by one introduction made by the Professor. First Blossom, then Bubbles, and lastly Buttercup. They had rehearsed the simple walk on stage about a dozen times, but still the museum curator seemed to watch the teenagers nervously as they waited by the stage stairs.

"You remember your markers, right?" he asked them each.

The three nodded.

"OK," he gulped a little as he paused to listen in on the Professor's speech. "Here it comes."

"And now, the moment you've all been waiting for... the _Powerpuff Girls_!"

As the girls waited by the steps of the stage, they could not see the audience directly from where they stood. However, when the Professor said "Powerpuff Girls," the entire room shook from the sudden, overwhelming volume of cheers and applause. The cheering went on for so long, the Professor had to wait for them to stop before he could continue. A steady chant of " _POW-ER-PUFF! POW-ER-PUFF_!" began among the crowd.

Each girls' eyes widened from the response as they glanced at one another. Blossom stood first in line at the stairs. She rose to the first few steps and peered beyond the stage for the first time. There were definitely more people there than they would see at their annual birthday carnival, and with the city's stadium filled as well, Blossom could only imagine how many eyes would be watching them. She turned back to her sisters and gave them each a weak smile, "Remember girls," she began, "All we have to do is stand there and smile. OK?"

Bubbles nodded, "Right."

Buttercup hadn't heard her sister at all. As soon as the sounds of cheering began, the teen had felt suddenly frozen. She knew that the screams she heard were just excited fans, but as they grew louder, her head began to throb once more, and the screams she heard began to shift into the haunting memory of the agonizing screams she heard on Monster Isle.

Buttercup shut her eyes tightly and tried to ignore the deafening cries. She flinched as she felt a hand on her shoulder. She opened her eyes and saw that it was Blossom who stood in front of her.

"Buttercup," she said as she placed her hand on her shoulder, " _You got this_."

Buttercup stared back at Blossom, but did not say anything. She could feel herself start to sweat as she watched her sister return to the base of the stage steps.

The crowd's cheering seemed unending, so the Professor continued, shouting his first introduction over the crowd as best he could, "The commander and leader of the Powerpuff Girls- _Blossom_!"

Blossom took a deep breath before she stepped out onto the stage. As soon as she appeared before the audience, the loud rally of the crowd only intensified. The enormously positive reaction took the pink Puff aback for a moment. As her pink eyes fell on the sea of fans who screamed for her, her previously rehearsed smile was replaced slowly by a real one. The redhead waved at the audience as she drifted across the stage and reached her spot beside the Professor.

She looked at Professor Utonium, who stood behind the podium. As he looked at her, Blossom could see that his smile was genuine, too. Seeing his reaction was the best feeling she had felt in months. As he smiled at her with a pride in his eyes she had been missing for so long, her heart swelled. Despite everything, he was still proud of her, and despite everything her fans still loved her. Blossom faced the audience once more, placed her hands on her hips and grinned big from ear to ear as she basked in the beautiful symphony of praise.

Bubbles held Buttercup's hand as she led them onto the first few steps so that they could watch their sister as she made her entrance. While the fans cheered for Blossom, Buttercup's eyes fell on the audience. As her sister took her place on stage, there was a sudden explosion of flashing lights from thousands of cameras in the audience all at once. As the lights flashed, Buttercup shut her eyes tightly as her mind cut immediately to a memory of exploding acid bombs. The screaming once again morphed in her mind to be cries of excruciating torment.

Bubbles looked to Buttercup and saw that she physically trembled as she stood with her eyes shut tightly. She immediately wrapped her arms around Buttercup, and held her close, "We're just going to be up there for fifteen minutes, Buttercup. Then it's all over." She pulled away from her and gently placed both her hands on the sides of Buttercup's face, forcing her sibling to look at her. "Let's practice our smile, OK?" she smiled at Buttercup.

Buttercup only stared back at her as they could hear the Professor continue on stage, "The joy and the laughter- _Bubbles_!"

Despite being called on stage, Bubbles remained with Buttercup. "You can do this, Buttercup. I know you can," Bubbles continued to try and encourage her sister with a smile. "Try... thinking of the time me and you gave Blossom a haircut," she giggled. "Remember? We _really_ messed up bad, huh?"

Buttercup slowly nodded and the slightest of smiles swept her face.

"The joy and the laughter... Bubbles!" Professor Utonium repeated the introduction again.

Bubbles gave Buttercup one last hug before she finally answered the fans' calling for her. As the blue Powerpuff floated across the stage the crowd erupted wildly once more.

"There she is!" the Professor chuckled as Bubbles took her place beside Blossom.

Buttercup knew that the sight of the giant audience was only making things worse for her, so she kept her head down as she waited anxiously for her cue. The skinny teen held her hands by her side, and they began to involuntarily twitch even more. She continued to battle with her nightmarish visions, trying instead to focus on the memory Bubbles had suggested to her. It helped, but just barely.

"And lastly, our toughest fighter- _Buttercup_!"

Buttercup took a deep breath, and stepped out onto the stage.

At first, she thought it was just the loud booming of her own heart that drowned out the sounds of the audience from her ears. The green Puff kept her eyes glued to the ground as she joined her sisters on stage. As she took her place beside Bubbles, she slowly lifted her eyes to the audience. The beating of her heart was strong, but as she looked out into the crowd, she could see for herself that it wasn't her heartbeat that had caused the room to suddenly grow quiet. On each side of the room, there were massive projections of what was occuring on stage, ensuring everyone in attendance had a perfect view. The shot was on Buttercup, and her alone. Her face-her scar- is what they saw. There was no hiding the dark "V" blemish under the bright glow of the stage lights.

The abrupt hush that fell over the audience somehow felt a thousand times worse than the shouting that had just unnerved Buttercup so much. She stood before the world, a Powerpuff Girl like her sisters, yet nobody recognized her as such. There was no applause. There were no cheers. There was only stunned silence.

Professor Utonium continued speaking, but Buttercup did not listen to any of his speech. She hung her head low as she tried to ignore the increasing dread she felt. Her scar was long healed, yet it began to feel hot as it burned from the intensity of a million eyes staring tortuously all at once.

As the Professor carried on with his speech, Buttercup's super hearing began to pick up on the thousands of whispers that spoke low throughout the audience:

" _What the hell happened to her?_ "

" _Holy shit, is_ that _Buttercup?_ "

" _That's not her. No way._ "

" _She looks sick_."

" _What's wrong with her face?_ "

" _I guess they can't all be cute._ "

" _I can't believe she used to be my favorite._ "

" _This must be some sort of joke._ "

" _So much for_ perfect little girls _._ "

It took everything inside Buttercup to just stand there and pretend like everything was fine. It was not. She glanced at her sisters beside her, who stood there smiling just as they were instructed to do. Didn't they hear them? Didn't they care what they were saying about her?

Of course, in reality, her sisters did not hear the same voices that taunted Buttercup. Nor was the silence that obvious to them as Buttercup entered the stage. To Bubbles and Blossom, everything seemed to be going pretty well. They had no idea that their sibling was slowly unraveling just beside them in real time.

Applause began once more as the Professor concluded his speech. The group exited the stage as a documentary about the Powerpuff Girls began to play for the audience next. After the short film, they were suppose to begin the first museum tour- guided by Professor Utonium and the Powerpuff Girls themselves.

As soon as Buttercup stepped off the stage, she pushed past both her sisters and walked straight for the Professor. "I want to go home," she said immediately.

Professor Utonium frowned. His tomboy daughter stood before him with a clear look of desperation on her face. "What's wrong, Sweetie?"

"I want to go home," she repeated again as her green eyes slowly began to swell with tears, and her body trembled. " _Please_."

Bubbles and Blossom exchanged worried glances with one another as they came to their sibling's side. They remained silent as Professor Utonium asked Buttercup once more, "What's wrong? Talk to me, Buttercup."

"I don't feel good," Buttercup said as she continued to shake, and the tears began to fall. "And I... just want to go home. _Please_. Can I go home?"

"I can take her," Ms. Keane spoke up suddenly. The short school teacher pushed past a group of stagehands who had crowded around backstage. She reached the Utonium family, and stood beside Buttercup. She gently placed her hand on her shoulder and gave her a small smile.

Professor Utonium nodded slowly, "Of course, if you're not feeling well, you can go home, Sweetie." He glanced at Ms. Keane, "Thank you."

"Come on, Dear," Ms. Keane said as she took Buttercup's trembling hand in hers, "Let's get you home."

* * *

The ride home had been quiet. Ms. Keane parked her vehicle along the curb just outside the Utonium household. She shut off her sedan's engine, and turned to face Buttercup who sat in the passenger seat. Although Buttercup was completely silent, the tears that started falling backstage at the Discovery Dome still hadn't stopped. The skinny teenager still trembled as she stared blankly forward, and sat rigid in her seat.

Ms. Keane frowned as she unfastened her seat belt. "There, there, Dear," she reached for Buttercup and gently embraced her in a hug. The teen remained stiff in her arms. "Everything is going to be alright."

Buttercup had felt trapped in her mind the entire ride home. Her head swarmed with everything from the accident, to Robin, to the things that were said about her at the premiere, to her sisters and the Professor smiling there throughout everything. It was as if everything bombarded her at once, and it was all so dizzying, she felt completely broken.

But as Ms. Keane wrapped her arms around her, her emotions began to break free. Buttercup closed her eyes and erupted into loud, uncontrollable sobbing. She threw her arms around Ms. Keane and hugged her tightly as she cried, " _Why did this happen?_!" Buttercup wailed loudly as her entire body shook. " _It's not fair! Why me?! Why the fuck did this happen to me?_!"

Ms. Keane's heart broke as the teenager fell apart in her arms. As she held Buttercup, she rubbed the girl's back while she wept. "I know, Sweetie," Ms. Keane soothed, "I know... It isn't fair..."

Buttercup shook as she continued to sob, "This is it! This is the _rest of my life_! For the rest of my life, I'm that _weird_ Powerpuff! I-I'm that ugly one! I-I-"

" _Shhh_ , _shhh_ ," Ms. Keane hushed her softly, "Everything will be alright, Buttercup-"

" _No_ , it's not! It's _not_ alright! _It won't ever be alright ever again!_ " Buttercup gripped her fists as she began to shake even more. "This is all Blossom's fault! She's the one who left me on that fucking island! _She's the one who left me to die!_ "

Ms. Keane pulled away from Buttercup. She spoke softly, but seriously, "Buttercup, you're just angry. You know, that it was an accident. A horrible, _horrible_ accident, but accidents happen, Dear. It's just a part of life. All you can do is move forward."

Buttercup gritted her teeth as her headache overwhelmed her. Her hands were balled up in tight fists as the anger inside her began to win over her other emotions. Ms. Keane reached for Buttercup again, but halted as she noticed a faint green glow beginning to form around the teenager's fists. She watched as Buttercup seemed to shake even more, while the glow around her hands intensified, "Buttercup..." she began slowly, "Everything will be-"

Buttercup turned to Ms. Keane as she screamed, " _NO IT WON'T_!"

As the teenager cried out, she reached for her seat belt so that she could unfasten it and leave the car. All she wanted to do was run, as if she could run away from everything awful she had experienced. But as she reached for her belt, and opened her hand, a fiery, electric green beam of light shot from her palm. As the green energy was released, it shot from her with such force, she was physically pushed back against the passenger side door. She instantly lifted her other hand to try to support herself, only it too opened with a fiery green blast.

Buttercup found herself pitted against the door, with her hands stretched out before her as the uncontrollable green shock wave erupted from both her palms. The small, grey sedan was illuminated by a blinding green light that prevented Buttercup from being able to see anything. The blast was extremely overpowering for her, especially because her body had been so weak for so long. But after just several seconds of straight flowing electric light, Buttercup suddenly felt her body begin to grow stronger. Several more seconds passed and she suddenly found enough strength to lift herself back up, and she was at last able to close her fingers, ending the fiery light show.

As the eerie green light that filled the car began to fade, Buttercup's eyes fell on Ms. Keane who still sat in the driver's seat. The school teacher was slumped in her chair, and her head drooped forward. Her eyes were closed, and as Buttercup stared at her in confusion and shock, she wondered at first if she was just sleeping. "Ms... Keane...?" Buttercup gulped nervously as she slowly reached towards her. She grasped her shoulder, and shook her as if she could wake her somehow, " _Ms. Keane?_ " she repeated.

There was no response, and shaking her only caused Ms. Keane to collapse forward against her steering wheel. The car horn blared loudly as Ms. Keane's lifeless body rested against it. As the long, drawn out horn continued to sound, Buttercup sat paralyzed by shock for a long time.

Gradually, Buttercup gathered enough courage to reach for Ms. Keane again. She gently pushed the short woman backward so that she rested against her car seat once more, silencing the car's horn at last. As the gravity of what she faced slowly began to settle in her mind, her eyes began to water with tears. " _Ms. Keane_!" she cried as she hugged the dead woman, " _Ms. Keane, I'm sorry! I-I didn't mean to! I-I don't even know what just happened! I-I-I-I..._ "

"There, there, Dear... Everything will be alright."

Buttercup sat up with a jolt as the unexpected voice startled her. She jumped again as she turned towards the voice she heard and found Ms. Keane sitting in the backseat, smiling.

"Of course, I know that you didn't mean to kill me," the woman continued to speak with a smile, "Accidents happen, Dear."

Buttercup stared with wide green eyes for a long time. Slowly, she turned her head to look back at the Ms. Keane who still sat in the driver's seat. That Ms. Keane was still very much dead. Buttercup gulped as she turned back to look at the second Ms. Keane in the backseat, "I don't... I- _I don't understand_..." She shook her head as she spoke, "Ms. Keane... are you... dead?" Tears began to stream down Buttercup's cheeks once more.

"Afraid so," Ms. Keane replied, still with a smile.

Buttercup began to cry again. As she buried her face in her hands, she heard Ms. Keane continue to speak in a sweet, soft voice.

"Oh, Dear, don't cry," she said. "Don't get yourself worked up again."

" _But you're dead_!"

"Now is not the time to panic," she reached for Buttercup and tousled her hair a little. "I'm sure we can fix this somehow."

"H-how?" As Buttercup stared at the apparition, she heard a chime ring from Ms. Keane's cell that sat on her car's dashboard.

"Oh, that's probably the Professor asking about us now. Go ahead and answer him."

Buttercup took the cellphone in her hand and opened the text message from the Professor. It read: "How are things?"

Ms. Keane leaned forward from the backseat and read the message for herself, " _Hmm_. Tell him that I'm taking you to my place for some dinner, and I'll have you back before curfew."

Buttercup blinked at Ms. Keane for a moment before she slowly nodded, "OK." She replied to the Professor just as she was instructed. Professor Utonium replied immediately with a brief "thank you."

Ms. Keane read the reply as Buttercup showed it to her. "Perfect!" she clapped her hands together. "Now, we can't just leave my body in this car and outside your home. Let's start with moving my body to the backseat. Do you think you can do that, Dear?"

Buttercup slowly nodded, "Y-yeah." She stepped out of the car and walked over to the driver's side. As she opened the door, she jumped a little at the sudden sight of the second Ms. Keane now sitting patiently in the passenger seat. Buttercup gulped as she scooped the dead body in her arms, and gently carried her.

"Aww," Ms. Keane watched Buttercup as she gently laid her body in the backseat, "That's nice, Dear."

Buttercup looked to Ms. Keane in the passenger seat, "Now what?"

"Well, we have to get my car home. So come on up here," she patted the driver's seat and smiled.

"I have to drive?"

"Well, I'm afraid I can't because I'm dead, Dear."

"But... I dunno how."

"Just come sit here, and I'll walk you through everything, Sweetie. It's just a few blocks away."

Buttercup sat in the driver's seat. While she fastened her seat belt, Ms. Keane began to point at the various mechanics of the car.

"There's your brake, and there's your gas. Don't forget to adjust your seat. _Good_. Now your mirrors. Very good."

Buttercup shook nervously as she listened to her teacher's instructions. She had never driven a car before, but Ms. Keane seemed pretty confident.

"Now just put the car in drive, and slowly pull out."

Buttercup grasped the steering wheel with sweaty hands. She felt very unsure at first, but as she steered the car down her neighborhood, she was surprised to find how easy it was. Slowly, her nerves began to settle as they reached the end of their block.

"Good!" Ms. Keane said cheerfully, "Now slow down a little. We're coming to a stop sign."

Buttercup eased her foot against the brake and came to a stop at the stop sign. There were no other vehicles and she slowly rolled along once more.

"You're doing _wonderful_ , Dear!" Ms. Keane clapped. "I'm so proud of you!"

A small smile swept Buttercup's face as she drove the sedan down the quiet street. She came to a red light next, and slowed to a stop once more. As she stopped, she turned her head to look at Ms. Keane and saw that she grinned back at her cheerfully. Buttercup smiled, too, but it faded as her eyes began to drift slowly to the backseat once more.

"Light's green now, Buttercup," Ms. Keane said.

Buttercup turned her attention back to the road and began to drive forward again.

Another red light, a left and then a right, and Buttercup found herself at Ms. Keane's house. "There's a garage door opener on your left side, Dear," Ms. Keane said as they arrived. Buttercup hit the small remote control and slowly pulled the car into the garage, where she parked it, shutting the door behind them.

"Well done, Buttercup!" Ms. Keane cheered again. "I knew you could do it!"

Buttercup shut off the engine, and breathed deeply with relief. "Thanks."

"Now, let's take me inside, OK?"

Buttercup nodded as she unfastened her seat belt. She went to the backseat and gathered Ms. Keane's body in her arms. She carried her to the door which led from the garage into the home's kitchen.

Buttercup walked through the kitchen, into Ms. Keane's living room. She gently laid down Ms. Keane's body on her blue, living room sofa. She fixed a throw pillow under her head, and found a small blanket that she covered her with next. As Buttercup laid the fleece blanket down, Ms. Keane stood behind her and watched.

"Aww. That's nice, Dear," she said. "It looks like I laid down to take a nap and, well, just never woke up."

Buttercup stepped away from Ms. Keane's body and looked at the other Ms. Keane. "Yeah," she said slowly, "I guess it does..."

"Would you do me a favor and feed Valentino before you leave?"

"Of-Of course," Buttercup nodded before walking over to the kitchen.

She found the cat food in the cupboard and refilled the cat dish that sat on top of the counter. As the kibble bits hit the ceramic bowl, the sound awakened Ms. Keane's cat, Valentino, in the other room. The scrawny cat ran into the kitchen, leapt onto the counter and purred as he began to feast.

"Thank you, Sweetie," Ms. Keane smiled. "You're such a _good_ kid, Buttercup."

Buttercup walked over to Ms. Keane and felt her eyes begin to water again. "Ms. Keane... I'm... _sorry_."

The apparition reached for Buttercup and gently cupped her face in her hand, "No need to be sorry, Dear. These things happen. It's just life. All we can do now, is move forward."

Buttercup slowly nodded, as she sniffed and rubbed her eyes.

"Now when you go home," Ms. Keane continued, "I want you to get some rest, put all this behind you, and do just one more thing for me."

"Sure," Buttercup answered. "What is it?"

"Start taking your medication, Buttercup."

And with that, Ms. Keane was gone.

* * *

Buttercup sat in the dark of their home's living room as she waited for her family's return that night. Ms. Keane had asked her to get some rest, but as much as she tried to fall asleep that evening, she found herself wide awake. She was no longer tired though. In fact, she felt strangely rested.

As the teenager waited in the dark, her eyes fell on the many framed family photos that hung on the wall. One of them featured herself, her sisters and Ms. Keane. Buttercup thought back to earlier that night, and wondered to herself what happened. _She was at the premiere. Ms. Keane drove her home. She started to cry and then..._

Buttercup shook her head, as she tried to push the recent events from her mind. There was no way any of that happened. There was no way there were two Ms. Keane's, and there was no way that she killed her. _It was... a nightmare. It had to be that._ She was having them intermittently throughout the day after all, and she had fallen asleep earlier without even realizing it. _Is that what happened?_

 _She was at the premiere. Ms. Keane drove her to her house. They had dinner. Ms. Keane took her back home. Ms. Keane left._ Buttercup nodded to herself slowly as she thought about this. _Right... that's what happened_.

Buttercup rose to her feet and quickly flew up to her bedroom. She went directly to her nightstand and found the medicine bottle which held her power stabilizers. She twisted open the cap, and promptly took her dose. As she swallowed the red pill, she heard the sound of her family's station wagon pulling into the driveway. Buttercup returned her medication to her nightstand, and left the room.

"I am so _exhausted_ ," Blossom yawned as she and Bubbles began to ascend the steps to their bedrooms. "I'm going straight to bed-" Blossom stopped as her pink eyes fell on Buttercup who stood at the top of the staircase.

"I don't think I can sleep," Buttercup said as her sisters stood below her on the staircase steps. "You guys wanna watch a movie with me?"

Bubbles and Blossom glanced at one another and smiled. They were surprised to see Buttercup awake, and even more surprised to hear her invitation. Blossom landed on Buttercup's right and Bubbles landed beside her on her left. They instantly wrapped their arms around their sibling.

"Of course, Sis," Bubbles said as she hugged her.

"And you mean me too?" Blossom asked as she held her breath.

Buttercup's eyes met Blossom's and she nodded, "Sure."

Blossom's eyes watered a little as she smiled at Buttercup, "I'll get us a comfy blanket," she announced as she started towards her room.

"And I'll pop some popcorn!" Bubbles also grinned before she shot off with a flash of blue light.

Buttercup slowly descended the staircase, and floated back to the family living room. She sat on the sofa and began to flip through the cable networks, searching for something good to watch. She eventually found one of her favorite horror films and it was just beginning to start.

Blossom arrived first with a flash of pink light. She quickly hopped up on the sofa beside Buttercup, and covered herself and Buttercup with her oversized quilted pink blanket. Bubbles arrived shortly after with a large bowl of freshly popped popcorn. She cuddled up on Buttercup's other side, burrowing herself under the blanket as well.

Buttercup was sandwiched between her sisters as she reclined against the sofa and watched the opening credits to the movie. She held the bowl of popcorn in her lap as both her sisters took turns snacking. As the movie's opening song, _Blue Moon_ , played in the background, Buttercup closed her eyes for a moment, and breathed deeply. At the end of the day, she had to admit: It was nice to be home.

"Is this gonna be scary, Buttercup?" Bubbles questioned as the movie began.

Buttercup shrugged, "I dunno."

"You haven't seen this one before?" Blossom asked.

"Nah, I have."

"So then how do you not know if it's scary or not?" Bubbles asked.

Buttercup shrugged again. "Depends on your definition of scary," she said as she took a handful of popcorn and shoveled it into her mouth. "And you two are a couple of wimps," she laughed with her mouth full.

" _Hey_!" Bubbles and Blossom shouted in unison, but laughed, too.

Professor Utonium stood by the living room entrance, "There you are, Buttercup. I thought you'd be asleep upstairs." He stepped forward and asked her, "Are you feeling better?"

Buttercup nodded, "Yeah. I think I am."

**End Part I**

* * *

_Author's Note_ : Well, that's the end of Part 1 of 3 for Villain: Redux. I consider this to be a sort of "prelude" to the major events of the overall "Villain" story. Chapter 7 will start off Part 2! Part 2 begins with a time skip of about three years, where we truly begin our path to villainy.

Thanks once again for reading! Please leave a comment or review and let me know your thoughts, feelings, opinions, critique, etc. As the author, this would be a nice point to know what you think of the story so far. If you can't think of anything to say in a review, please just leave a comment mentioning what your favorite scene of Part 1 was and why. That would be sweet! :D

As for our next update... Forgive me for taking my time once again with the next chapter. I've literally been writing chapter 7 for a few weeks now, but it still needs work. I've been devoting SO MUCH TIME to working on this fanfic, but I'm working with a lot of subplots/characters for Part 2, and so it's taking me some time to find the right balance for everything that needs to be told. But seriously, this fic is my project baby right now. I am always working on it whenever possible, and I hope to still have an update up before the end of May. Part 2 has my favorite pieces to this story, so I'm just being a painful butt-head perfectionist with it- sorry about that lol. Thanks for your patience! I'll be posting about my progress and when to expect the next chapter on my tumblr, so you can check that for updates.

Wishing you all the best of vibes! I hope you are all staying safe and sane out there!


	7. Secrets and Sanctuaries

**Villain: Redux**

By: Yay Ninja Bob

**Part II: Hate & War **

**Chapter 7**

**Secrets and Sanctuaries**

The city of Townsville had been home to Professor Utonium all his life, but his childhood home in the Valley was a place he hadn't visited since he left it behind at eighteen. It was a part of the city that he never had a reason to return to until then. It was his brother's final wish to have his ashes spread about on their old family farmhouse property, and so Professor Utonium found himself there again for the first time in over three decades.

Throughout his youth, the northwestern region of Townsville was an agricultural community, and home to more orange groves and chicken farms than people. His older brother Eugene was first to leave behind the citrus scented community for a more promising life in the bustling city of Citysville, some three-hundred and eighty miles north of Townsville. His brother was eighteen then, and he himself was fourteen. He envied the exciting new life his brother had built for himself in the state's largest city, and always imagined that he would follow after his brother as soon as he graduated high school and was able to do so. Only when the time to leave came, his mother's sudden and unexpected decline in health kept him from venturing beyond the greater area of Townsville. He chose instead to attend college in Downtown Townsville at Townsville State, so that he could stay close to his ailing mother. When she passed during his third year in college, he lost the desire to leave Townsville altogether. If it weren't for his mother leaving their old family home to Eugene instead of him, he imagined he would have returned to the Valley after his schooling. But when the will was read, and Eugene was named the sole inheritor of the family farm, a small bitterness seeded itself within the Professor, and the Valley- much like his brother- became something that he wished to avoid whenever possible.

The tiny two-bedroom home that he grew up in was built by his grandfather and was one of the last of its kind in the area. As Professor Utonium pulled their family station wagon onto the gravel paved driveway, he noticed that the citrus fragrance that had once sweetened the air around their family farm was only a phantom memory. The rows of orange groves were long gone, and replaced with rows of store fronts, family homes and asphault streets. Really, it looked just like any other part of Townsville now, and his childhood home had definitely become an eyesore in the middle of the surrounding modern suburbia. The white painted exterior of the home had turned yellow over time, and the paved gravel trail which led to the home was sparse and mostly dirt. The property sat on five acres of dusty land, so it was still somewhat secluded from the rest of the surrounding tightly packed neighborhood.

Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup exited the vehicle at the same time as their father, and quietly watched him as his eyes fell on his childhood home for the first time in a lifetime. The morning summer sun instantly beat down on the Utonium family, dressed in black funeral attire as they stood in silence for several minutes on the narrow gravel driveway. The three girls had never seen or been to that place until then. In fact, they never had a clue that the Professor had grown up on a farm at all, not until they learned of their uncle Eugene's passing the week prior.

Blossom looked down at the cream colored ceramic urn she guarded safely in her hands. They had met their redheaded uncle once or twice before, but hadn't heard anything about him in recent years aside from the annual Christmas card he'd send in the mail. The Professor rarely spoke of his brother, and the pink Powerpuff stayed silent as she wondered to herself how her dad was feeling in that moment. From the time he learned of his brother's passing, the Professor hadn't expressed much of any emotion at all. At least, nothing close to the mourning he and the entire Utonium family experienced after Ms. Keane's sudden passing almost three years ago. Blossom had always seen the Professor as a gentle-hearted and sensitive man, unafraid to share or express his feelings, so the sort of numb expression he wore as he stood in his black funeral suit was an odd thing for her to see.

Bubbles stood beside Blossom and also watched the Professor with curiosity. Even though she hadn't had a close relationship with her uncle, the blue Powerpuff's eyes still glistened as she fought back her own emotions. She felt sad for the Professor and for his loss, and she also mourned the fact that she would never get the chance to get to know her uncle as well as she would have liked to. As she wiped away a tear before it could fall, she watched as the Professor finally began to slowly walk towards the front door to the tiny abandoned house. She then glanced from her sister Blossom on her right to her sister Buttercup on her left, and suddenly felt another wave of sadness overcome her then. A flood of silent tears began to fall too fast for her to catch. Maybe it was the surreal sight of seeing her sisters in the same black clothing they had worn to Ms. Keane's funeral that brought up old feelings. Or maybe it was the unsettling idea of what it might be like to lose a sibling forever that made her cry then. Whatever it was, her emotions got the best of her, and she turned to her sister Buttercup for comfort as she buried her face in her shoulder and wept softly.

Buttercup kept her arms folded across her chest as Bubbles let her head fall onto her shoulder and cried. The green Powerpuff couldn't help but roll her eyes a little as she thought to herself: _What are you crying for? We didn't even know him_. However, as Bubbles continued to quietly sob on her shoulder and wrap her arms around her in a forced hug, Buttercup eventually placed one arm around the blonde's shoulder, and walked with her as the three of them slowly followed after the Professor.

Professor Utonium let out a small sigh before he forced open the door to his past. Despite the bright summer sun outside, the inside of the mostly empty house was dark. The windows had been boarded up for years, and the first touch of sunlight came from the opened front doorway where the Professor stood, with his three girls standing directly behind him. They waited patiently for the Professor to cross the front door's threshold and enter the home, but he seemed frozen there at the doorway and never moved.

After several minutes of silence, the Professor finally cleared his throat before asking Blossom in a low voice, "Do you have Eugene's ashes?"

Blossom nodded quickly and stepped forward with the urn still in hand, "Right here, Professor." She gently handed off the oval shaped urn to the Professor who took it from her without a word, and still wearing a blank expression.

Professor Utonium remained outside as he slowly knelt down at the doorway, and sat the urn on the dusty wooden floorboards. He then reached into his pants pocket and pulled out a round, silver pocket watch that none of the girls had ever seen before then, and carefully placed it beside Eugene's urn on the floor. He stared for just a moment at the urn in silence before he sighed softly once more, and stood again. The Professor then shut the crickety wooden door and reached in his pants pocket for the key his deceased brother left to him. He silently locked the door for good, and turned to leave.

Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup exchanged confused glances with one another as they moved aside and watched the Professor walk quietly back to where their family station wagon was parked.

"That's it?" Buttercup scoffed a little.

Blossom frowned, "He's probably still in shock," she spoke quietly so that the Professor could not overhear, "His brother was just a few years older than him, after all."

"What was the point in dragging us all out here so early in the damn morning just for that? He didn't even spread the ashes." Buttercup rolled her eyes.

Blossom stood on Buttercup's right, and she couldn't see the look of disgust that swept Blossom's face then. "Could you at least pretend to have a heart, Buttercup? Jeez."

Buttercup turned her head so that she could see Blossom and narrowed her green eyes at her, but said nothing.

"The Professor is just processing things in his own way," Blossom continued. "Have some compassion."

Bubbles stood silent between her sisters as she watched the Professor reach their car. Her bright blue eyes were still flooded with tears as she slowly left her sisters behind on the porch and approached the Professor on her own. As she reached him, she wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly. "I'm sorry about Uncle Eugene, Professor," she sniffled.

Professor Utonium wrapped his arms around his blue eyed daughter and embraced her tightly, "Thank you, Sweetie." He pulled away from her embrace and smiled kindly as he gently wiped away a fallen tear from Bubbles' cheek. He looked to Buttercup and Blossom as they slowly made their way over to them. "Ready to go home, girls?"

"If you're ready, Professor," Blossom said with a supportive smile as she stood beside him.

Professor Utonium kept one arm around Bubbles, and placed his other arm around Blossom. He held them both as he took a moment to look back at the old house for one final time. He nodded slowly, "Yes, let's go home."

* * *

As Ace watched the red sun rise that morning, he knew it was about to be another record hot summer day on the east side of Downtown. He retrieved a pack of smokes from his back jeans pocket as he leaned up against the chain-link fencing of the construction site. He still had three minutes before it was time to clock in for the day, so just enough time to enjoy a morning cigarette before it was time to get to work.

His days began early. Too early, in his opinion, but at least that day was his last work day of the week. The job was in construction doing renovations and remodels on old apartment complexes in Downtown. It wasn't a bad gig other than him having to be up at the crack of dawn every day. The pay was decent, and the general contractor that Ace reported to was actually a pretty down-to-Earth guy. Having a boss that wasn't a judgemental jerk was a rarity for Ace, so he was pretty thankful for that alone. But the most important fact, and the reason why he took the gig in the first place, was that the job came with benefits and medical insurance for him and Sophia. Sure, the kid was still complaining about her braces, but she'd thank him one day for it.

As much as Ace wasn't a morning person, at least starting work so early also meant his eight hours were up by the early afternoon, and that made it possible for him to still keep his marijuana business afloat, although just barely. The Green Garden Collective was still the man's personal ambition in life, and if he could just focus on that business full-time, he'd be living the dream. However, although it was legalized in the state, the cannabis industry was still pretty cut-throat and keeping his business alive was easier said than done. Competition used to be fair enough, and Ace prided himself in growing some of the stickiest flower in all of Downtown which put his shop above a lot of the rest. But the bud quality was irrelevant to law enforcement, and the city sure liked to pass new ordinances on a whim to keep all the dispensary owners on their toes. The biggest and most recent setback for the GGC was when they lost their storefront on Esperanza Street.

The city had decided it was unacceptable for dispensaries to operate within a twenty-mile radius of any K-12 schools, but did not account for the fact that density of Downtown meant there was a grade school on every other block. The new ordnance instantly shut down the majority of dispensaries in the city, including Ace's. Of course, losing his shop was one thing, but enforcement showing up without warning one day and taking all his product and cash was the worst part of it all. That was a year ago, and Ace was still struggling to get his bud production back up to where it used to be. For now, the Green Garden Collective was temporarily known on the underground market as Green Garden on the Go- a delivery service. Running a marijuana delivery service out of his two-bedroom condo was definitely not up to code according to the state, but it was definitely easier to hide from enforcement that way, and the only way Ace could operate until he could find an affordable new storefront.

Ace took one final drag of his cigarette as he watched the rest of the construction crew line up at the time clock outside their general contractor's trailer. As soon as the clock turned over to five on the dot, the workers began to punch in for the day. Ace lined up with the rest of the crew, punched in, and collected his daily work assignment from the general contractor.

"Ace, your with Jerry and Derrick. Drywall. Units eight through twelve."

Ace whistled a little as he took the sheet of blueprints from his superior, "Damn, Fred. Eight through twelve? First it was two units a day, then three, and now four? Ya trying to break our backs, or what?"

The man chuckled a little, "Hey, don't blame me, my man. I got orders to follow, too, you know." The bearded contractor raised his voice as he spoke to the entire group, "Get what you can done, boys. I know it's asking a lot for the day, but the property owner needs this project completed by the end of summer, so time's a tickin.'"

Ace shook his head a little as he and the rest of the crew began to split off into smaller teams for the day. The apartments they were renovating had only begun reconstruction earlier that month, and already they were being rushed. That's how every project seemed to go at some point. "Hey great work, but can you do it faster?" He didn't blame Fred. Like he said, he was only following orders, just like him.

He and his team entered their first assigned unit, and his co-worker Derrick suggested that he start in the kitchen, while he took the living room, and Jerry the bedroom. As Ace entered the apartment's kitchen, the bright yellow tiled floor of the room stirred up a feeling of nostalgia for him. It was the same colored tiling that was in the old apartment he and Sophia had been forced out of three summers ago. As rundown as that old place was, he still missed it from time to time, and seeing that tacky yellow tiled floor reminded him of the past once more. If he closed his eyes and imagined it, he could still hear the laughter of his old friends Billy, Grubber, Snake and Arturo.

Ace slowly walked along the yellow tiled floor and to the far end wall of the kitchen, as he tried to shake the past from his thoughts. There was no use getting sentimental over things he couldn't control. He firmly grasped the metal pry bar in his hands and focused on a spot on the white wall. Ace took a deep breath, before giving the wall a solid wack.

* * *

Princess kicked her feet, from where they dangled off the red leather cushioned chair. The short redheaded teenager pursed her lips as she scrolled through her laptop's screen, focused intently on her latest project. She paused for a moment to scribble something quickly on a yellow notepad she kept beside her computer on the office desk. As she jotted down her notes, she smiled to herself deviously, "Oh, this just keeps getting better and better!"

The double doors behind her opened as Alfred stepped inside with Princess's daily morning ice coffee in hand. He sat down the tall, cold beverage beside the youngster's purple colored laptop, carefully sliding a marble coaster underneath so as to not damage the mahogany. "Yolanda Riglee called this morning, Miss."

Princess sat down her pen and paper and looked to Alfred. She rolled her eyes as she responded, "Riglee? What, is she finally ready to give up on our bidding war?"

"No, I'm afraid that she's made another offer to the state-"

"What?!" Princess exclaimed as she spun around in her chair to face Alfred. "So what? She's just calling to try and rub it in or something?" She scoffed as she spun in her seat once more, to return her attention to her laptop, "Well whatever it is she's offering the state, Alfred, I want you to double it. I'm sick of this eight million, eight point five, nine, ten, eleven- let's just get on with it already."

Alfred smiled a little, "I'll put in another bid then, Princess." He paused before continuing, "She had called to try and arrange a meeting with your father, actually."

Princess halted in her keyboard typing for a moment. She turned once more to face Alfred, "And what did you say?"

"I said he was unavailable, of course," Alfred answered. "She was rather stubborn about the matter. She said she was impressed with your father's unwavering determination to outbid her, and would like to discuss a business opportunity with him."

Princess gave a short laugh as she reclined in her seat a little, "Riglee has another thing coming if she thinks I'm going to team up with her! I can outbid any number she throws down, and she knows it. I bet you, Alfred, that woman is panicking now. That's the only reason why she'd want to work together- she's almost out of money and she knows it!" She rubbed her hands together as she smirked, "Unfortunately for her, I always win."

Alfred watched as Princess turned in her seat once more.

"If she calls again, you tell her that Daddy said he's not interested. Got it?"

"Will do, Princess," Alfred nodded. He watched Princess take her yellow notebook in hand and tear off the sheet of paper that held her hand written notes she had been taking.

"I need you to get in touch with our contractors and find this employee for me. I want to know what work site he's on, and I need to meet with him today. Got it?"

She handed the yellow sheet to Alfred, and he took it in hand, "Andrew Espinoza?"

Princess lifted her laptop and showed the screen to Alfred then, revealing a mugshot of a dark haired man with an rough, olive-green complexion. "Also known as _Ace_."

Alfred nodded, "Very well, Princess. I'll make the call straight away." He smiled a little. "It sounds like your making progress with your latest scheme then, Miss."

"Alfred, you have no idea!" Princess grinned as she reclined in her seat and took her ice coffee in hand. "I've been researching for the perfect lackey for my next plan of attack, and honestly I don't know why I never thought of employing that greasy haired gangster before now! He was persecuted by those Puffs just as much as I was. Once he hears what I have planned, he'd be crazy to not want to get a piece of that revenge! It's perfect!" Princess sipped her coffee before continuing, "And if revenge isn't enough, or the cash reward I plan to offer, then I can always just try threatening his job. Now that I know that he's technically employed by me!" She laughed a little as she took another sip of ice coffee, "It's perfect!"

The teenager hopped off from her chair, and stretched a little. "I'm off to take Precious on a walk, Alfred. I trust you'll have the information I need by the time I return?"

"Of course, Miss," Alfred answered as he held the door to Princess's office suite open for her, "It shouldn't be a problem at all."

* * *

The bold black lettering was projected onto the wall twenty feet away from where Buttercup sat impatiently. The blurred font she was instructed to read wasn't getting any clearer, no matter how hard she concentrated, and all she could make out was a series of blotchy black dots. If the Professor hadn't stood behind her shielding her left eye with his cupped hand, she'd be able to read the projection just fine, but all she had to work with was her damaged right eye.

"Line number five," Professor Utonium repeated.

Buttercup gritted her teeth as she snapped back in a low grumble, "I told you already, Professor: I can't see shit."

"Just your best guess will do, Buttercup."

Buttercup exhaled deeply with a groan, "Is it F-U-C-K-E-D?"

Professor Utonium sighed as he lowered his hand. He grasped the headrest of the swivel chair the teenager sat on, and spun her around so she faced him. He said nothing to her, and only shook his head disapprovingly as he next retrieved a small flashlight from his lab coat pocket.

Buttercup still gritted her teeth as Professor Utonium gently held her chin and directed her gaze forward while he shone the flashlight in her right eye for a minute.

"I know you hate these vision check ups, Buttercup," he spoke as he shut off the flashlight and tucked it back into his white coat pocket, "but I really can't get an accurate assessment without your cooperation." He folded his arms across his chest as he frowned, "I wish you would take these things a little more seriously. It's for your benefit, after all."

Buttercup rolled her eyes, "Who cares? It's been like three years and it's never gotten any better. You say yourself every time that it's only gonna get worse, so what's the point?"

Professor Utonium continued to frown as he looked down on his tomboy daughter. He wondered if she had been truthful about not being able to read the last text slide, or if it was just Buttercup being troublesome Buttercup. If the line was truly unreadable for her, then at this point the deterioration of her right eye's sight had worsened beyond what would be considered blind for an average human being.

"Ready to go yet, Buttercup?" Bubbles' voice came from the top of the basement steps.

"Yeah, are we done yet, Professor?" Buttercup asked with annoyance.

Professor Utonium nodded, and watched the grouchy teenager hop off from her seat immediately to join her sister at the staircase. "Where are you two off to?"

"Movies," the girls answered in unison.

"And Blossom?"

"It's Sunday so she's tutoring at the library today."

"Well, will you all be home in time for dinner tonight, or am I dining solo another night?"

"Sorry, Professor," Bubbles frowned, "I don't know about Blossom, but I promised Dr. Weaver I'd help out at the hospital for a bit tonight." Buttercup nudged her sister with her elbow. Bubbles blinked at her for a moment in confusion, before she quickly added, "Oh yeah, and Buttercup's gonna come help too!" Her smile changed from cheerful to nervous.

"You are, Buttercup?" the Professor sounded a little surprised.

"Yeah, so what? Is that so hard to believe?"

"No, no," the Professor continued to smile, "It's just nice to see you've taken up a hobby finally. Working with animals isn't something I imagined you would like so much. You've been at that hospital just as much as your sister this summer."

"Well, animals are better than people. That's for sure," she muttered.

"OK, bye Professor!" Bubbles shouted quickly, sounding a little desperate to leave suddenly, but before she could successfully take off, the sound of their home's doorbell rang out.

"That's probably another delivery," the Professor said as he returned to his work desk in the corner of his basement laboratory. "Do you mind, girls?"

"No problem, Professor!" Bubbles replied as she pulled Buttercup along up the steps with her. As the two reached the top of the basement steps, Bubbles gave Buttercup a hard pinch on her arm, "Way to give me a heads up, Buttercup!"

"What?" Buttercup shook her head, "I told ya weeks ago that I needed you to cover for me tonight. Not my fault your such a forgetful bubble-brain," she muttered.

"OK, well you know how I hate lying so maybe just a reminder ahead of time would've been nice," Bubbles sighed, "I get so nervous when you put me on the spot like that."

"Sure, whatever. You know for someone who hates lying, you sure do a lot of it," Buttercup smirked a little. "So, you ready for the _movies_?" Buttercup gave the final word air quotes with her fingers as she rolled her eyes.

Bubbles narrowed her blue eyes at her sister for a moment, "You know I hate lying about that, too!" she said seriously. "And if everyone would stop judging all the coyotes so unfairly, then I wouldn't have to lie! You know that, Buttercup!"

"OK, OK, calm down," Buttercup shook her head, "Go get your stuff for your mangey mutts, and I'll go get the stupid delivery at the door."

Buttercup watched as her sister shot off quickly with a flash of blue light. She took her time as she hovered slowly to their home's front door, and waited until she heard the sound of the postal service truck drive away before she reached for the doorknob. Gifts and letters were delivered daily during the weeks leading up to their birthday, and sure enough there was a two foot tall heap of freshly delivered packages waiting on their front porch.

The skinny teen knelt down and scooped up the large pile of gifts in her arms and carried them into the living room where she carelessly tossed them onto the ground before the fireplace. Her green eyes fell on the rest of the birthday packages they had accumulated over the past several days. It was just two days before her and her sisters' sixteenth birthday that year, and they were beginning to run out of room for their fans' gifts in the family room where they had been storing them.

Blossom was usually the one to sort through the daily deliveries and organize the gifts and letters into individual piles for them. The pink Powerpuff's pile of presents were neatly stacked along the far wall of the living room. The large collection was stacked nearly as tall as the ceiling, and Buttercup estimated that she had received at least some two hundred gifts, and that was not including the dozens of bundles of enveloped fan letters addressed to her too. Bubbles' gifts sat on what used to be their living room sofa, only the pile had grown so large the furniture had disappeared entirely beneath the massive heap of presents, and began to spill onto the floor by that point. Buttercup's own gifts sat on the coffee table at the center of the living room. There were just about a dozen packages altogether, but x-ray vision had already revealed to her that it was mainly unsolicited junk. There were a few gifted artworks which weren't too bad except that they all depicted her days before her scarring which personally irritated her. Skin care and makeup products were the most popular gift for her, and Buttercup suspiciously wondered how much of it was a sincere gesture, and how much of it was just a flat out prank. Lastly, there were a few bibles from religious nutjobs who were convinced her hideous scarring to be some sort of mark of the devil and wished to save her soul.

"Man, ever since we stopped having that birthday carnival it seems like we get more presents delivered here than ever," Bubbles joined her sister in the living room. The blonde girl slung a navy blue backpack over her shoulder, which clanked loudly with the sounds of twenty-something cans of dog food inside.

Buttercup watched Bubbles as she entered the room and gazed upon the new pile of gifts for herself. As her bright blue eyes shimmered, Buttercup could tell that her sister used her x-ray vision to take a curious peak for herself then. Bubbles gave Buttercup a cheerful smile, "I miss getting to see all our fans every year, but I like the tons more presents better."

"Sure I guess _you and Blossom_ get a ton of presents, but _I_ don't," Buttercup rolled her eyes in response.

Bubbles kept on smiling as she reached for her sister's shaggy black hair and gently pet it. "I'm sure you have lots more on the way, Sis. You'll see!"

As soon as she felt her sister's hand on top of her head, the green Powerpuff immediately hovered off the ground by several inches, rising to the same height of her sister as she pulled away, "Yeah, whatever," she muttered.

It wasn't that long ago when her sister Bubbles had experienced a big growth spurt. It seemed like just their last birthday the blonde stood just at equal height with Buttercup, although Buttercup argued at the time that she was still taller. But now just a year later, it was obvious that Bubbles stood just as tall as Blossom then at five feet and eleven inches. Buttercup doubted she'd ever get used to the fact that the girl she had called her "baby" sister now stood taller than her, and every time Bubbles patted her hair like that, she felt as if the former shorty was teasing her in some way.

"Come on," Bubbles smiled cheerfully, "Let's go before it starts to get later."

* * *

Even on a hot summer day, the dense woods of Townsville forest offered plenty of shade from the brutal sun, and the rickety, aged wooden shack hidden deep inside the forest managed to stay relatively cool inside. The front door to the wooden home had been replaced by a bright blue, heavy plastic tarp, allowing packs of wild coyotes to run in and out of the cabin as they pleased.

Bubbles had always been determined to help the coyotes that would show up in their home's backyard in search of food. When the first coyote had wandered into their yard, Bubbles gave that pup some left over meatloaf, and later shared with the Professor what she had done. Of course, the Professor advised the girl not to feed the coyotes again, as did Blossom, and so did Buttercup. But when other coyotes showed up hungry, what else could the animal lover do? She couldn't just turn them away when they were hungry. And what started with one coyote, quickly turned to three, then five, then eight- before she knew it, Bubbles would step out onto their back porch to find more than a dozen coyotes at a time, waiting patiently for some food. With packs of coyotes that large, it was only a matter of time before the Professor found out about it, and when he did, he directly forbid the girl from feeding them any longer.

Of course, technically he said she couldn't feed them in their yard, and so that was when Bubbles set out to find a sanctuary for the coyotes of Townsville.

Bubbles was first to step inside the small wooden cabin, and she was instantly greeted by a barrage of coyote kisses. Buttercup stood at the entrance way, balancing the blue colored tarp above her head, as she watched as her sister was knocked to the ground by the energetic group of wild dogs. The blue Powerpuff was sure to visit them every day, yet the canines greeted her with the same enthusiasm every time.

"OK, OK," Bubbles said between giggles as the coyotes took turns lapping her face, "I missed you guys, too!"

Buttercup volunteered occasionally to help Bubbles feed and exercise the pack of coyotes she kept hidden from everybody else but her, but it had been a couple weeks since she'd last been inside the abandoned cabin in the woods. Truthfully, she'd only volunteer to help whenever she needed a favor in return. As she stepped inside, she could see that Bubbles had begun painting a colorful mural of a meadow of wild flowers along the far end of the cabin wall. She laughed a little, "I don't think Fuzzy would appreciate you painting up his place with dainty little flowers and rainbows, Bubbles."

The coyotes that had swarmed Bubbles finally let off her, so that she could stand. "Probably not," Bubbles giggled, "But it's not like he's ever coming back." Bubbles brushed herself off before walking to a wooden table at the center of the room. She removed her backpack, unzipped it, and poured the collection of dog food cans she had brought across the table top.

Buttercup watched her sister go about the room, collecting the empty dog dishes scattered throughout. The sound of the clanking metal bowls in Bubbles' arms must have alerted the rest of the wild pack to their presence, because soon after another energetic group of dogs burst through the tarp flap. There had to have been about twenty coyotes crammed into the cabin now.

"Here," Bubbles handed off an armful of bowls to Buttercup, "Start filling them up."

As Buttercup stood at the table and began to fill the metal bowls up with the thick gravy chunks of dog food, she stared at the wild group of dogs bouncing excitedly about the room in anticipation for their feast, "Jeez, Bubbles. Is there even enough here for all of them?"

Bubbles sighed a little as she joined her sister at the table and the two of them made fast work of filling up each dog dish with a single can. "Well, it's all I have until I get paid at the hospital tonight and then I can get more." She paused. "And you know, if you actually did work at the hospital with me instead of just lying that you are, you'd get a little money too, and you could help me get even more dog food." She batted her eyes at Buttercup innocently.

Buttercup rolled her eyes, "Yeah, eight bucks an hour to pick up dog poop and clean litter boxes? No thanks."

"Fine," Bubbles sighed. "What time should we meet up later tonight to come home then?"

Buttercup shrugged, "I dunno. I won't be that late. I'll text you."

Bubbles frowned a little, "You know, I still don't get why _I_ can't meet your secret friends when I let you meet mine," Bubbles gestured to the room full of coyotes as she began to set down the filled bowls of food on the floor. "I know that your friends are stoners, and I told you that I don't care, Sis. It'd be nice to know who you spend all this time with."

Buttercup sighed. "Look, Bubs. I know you wouldn't give a shit who I'm hanging with, but truth is- You suck at keeping a secret."

"Do not!"

"Do too!"

"Do _not_!" Bubbles persisted. "I promise I'd never tell anyone, Buttercup! Just like I know you wouldn't tell anyone about my coyote sanctuary! I trust you, so why don't you trust me? It's not fair!"

Buttercup shook her head. "I know you mean well, and I'm sure you try your best to keep secrets, but you got a big mouth, Bubbles. You accidentally blab about things all the time, and this is just one of those things I don't want you ruining, OK?" Buttercup looked to her sister and saw that her blue eyes were beginning to water. "No offense, alright?" she added.

Bubbles remained quiet as she sat down the final bowl of food on the ground. Her somber mood was instantly detected by her closest coyote friend, Victor, and the grey coated dog left behind his bowl of food to nestle up against Bubbles' side. He tenderly pressed his forehead against her hand, and she sniffled a little as she began to pat her friend's head quietly.

Buttercup groaned a little. "Come on, Bubs. Don't be like this."

"Like what?" she squeaked.

"All guilt trippy!" Buttercup threw up her hands.

"I'm not trying to guilt trip you, Buttercup," Bubbles sniffled again. "I just want you to trust me. I'm your sister, after all."

Buttercup sighed heavily as she approached her. "Look, I trust you enough to cover for me, don't I?"

"Well... I guess so..."

"So that makes a difference, don't it?"

Bubbles stayed quiet as she continued to pet Victor's head for comfort. She watched as Buttercup seemed to impatiently check her phone for the time.

"Look," Buttercup said as she shoved her cellphone back into her jeans back pocket, "I gotta get going. I'll text you later, alright?"

Bubbles nodded, "OK."

"OK," Buttercup stepped towards her and gave one of her long, wavy pigtails a playful tug, "See ya," she smirked.

Bubbles returned a weak smile, "Have fun, Sis."

* * *

Ace was just about to stamp his time card, and punch out for the day when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned and saw his boss Fred, "Hey, Ace," he said, "They're asking for you in the office before you go," he nodded his head towards the shut trailer door.

"Whose askin for me?" Ace raised an eyebrow. The only boss he had ever answered to there was Fred.

Fred shrugged, "Not sure, my man," he snatched his own time card and punched out, ahead of Ace. "See ya next week," he gave Ace a pat on the back before he turned to leave.

Ace stepped inside the tiny trailer office, and was immediately greeted by a short, irritated redhead. " _Ugh_! Finally!" she said as she approached Ace. "It's like a thousand degrees in this shitty little box car!" she complained as she fanned herself aggressively.

Ace blinked at the sixteen-year-old for a moment, "Princess?"

"That's _Miss_ Princess to you," she pointed her finger at him, "I sign your checks, after all."

Ace raised an eyebrow. "Uh, OK. So you're who wanted to see me?"

Princess nodded before she scoffed again, " _Ugh_ , I am not spending another second inside this oven. Come on, I'll give you a ride home and we'll chat."

Ace stepped aside as Princess marched past him and back through the trailer door. He followed her down the ramp to where her limo was parked just beyond the construction gate. Alfred dutifully waited by the rear door, and opened it on cue as she approached him. As Princess slid into the limousine, Ace stopped just before the door.

" _Well_?" she called out to him, "What are you waiting for? Come on!"

Ace hesitated. "What's this about, Kid?"

Princess smiled innocently from where she sat, "I have an opportunity of a lifetime for you, Ace," she patted the black leather cushioned seat beside her. "So let's talk."

Ace sighed a little. He wasn't a fool, and he knew the former villain hadn't dropped her feud with the Powerpuff Girls. Any opportunity she had for him, must've had to do with that old game, and frankly, he wasn't interested. Still, it was brutally hot outside, so a ride home in air conditioned luxury didn't sound half bad. He slid inside the limo, and took the seat beside Princess, and Alfred promptly shut the door behind him.

* * *

The only upside to summer for Buttercup was that she didn't have any school, which meant she didn't have to face any of her peers. A break from all the whispered gossip and rumors was definitely something she looked forward to every summer vacation. What she didn't look forward to was the summer heat. As somebody who wore a baggy, oversized hoodie to hide her scars every day, she would rather spend her time indoors than be out in the sun. Even a super powered teenager like herself could feel the effects of the intense summer rays that beat down on East Downtown. But she had promised Ace weeks ago that she'd be there to babysit Sophia for him while his band played a gig at the beach pier that night.

As Buttercup stepped onto the front porch to Ace's condo on the east side of Downtown and knocked on the front door, she kept her hoodie up and drawn close around her face to try to keep her identity hidden from any nosy neighbors. Just as soon as she finished knocking, a tiny green eight-year-old swung the door open with an eager smile on her face. "Yay! Nino's home-" she stopped immediately when her brown eyes fell on Buttercup and her smile faded a little, "Oh. It's just you."

Buttercup couldn't help but laugh a little as the short, three-foot girl seemed to let out a depressing sigh as she stood aside and allowed Buttercup to enter their home. "Nice to see ya too, Runt."

Sophia sighed again, "I thought you were my uncle."

"Yeah, I can see that," Buttercup said as she watched the girl return to the living room sofa which sat against a window. She climbed up onto the brown cushioned seats and sat backwards with her chin resting lazily on the headrest as she stared out the window with sad eyes. "He's not home yet?" Buttercup questioned.

Another sad sigh from the girl, "Nope."

Buttercup lowered her hoodie, and turned her head as she heard the sound of footsteps approaching from down the hallway. A short green woman with short neon yellow hair entered the room next. It was Betty, the drummer to Ace's band and one of his two roommates there at the condo. "Oh, hey, Buttercup," she greeted her as she passed through the living room and into the kitchen.

"Hey." Buttercup followed Betty into the kitchen. "So what's up with Sophia today? She's staring out the window like she's in some dramatic music video."

Betty retrieved a can of soda from the fridge and tossed it to Buttercup, who caught it with one hand. She grabbed another soda for herself and leaned up against the granite kitchen counter top as she answered, "She's been like that all summer," she cracked open her can and took a swig. "Now that she's home from school, she's upset about Ace working all the time. She waits for him to come home from his construction job every day by that window." Betty began to walk from the kitchen and back into the living room, and Buttercup followed. "I tell her, he's working all the time just for her."

Buttercup nodded as she took a drink of soda. "Yeah, but shouldn't he be home by now? I thought you guys had a show to play."

Betty shrugged, "Maybe the buses are running late."

"Two hours late?!" a man's voice shouted from the other room.

Betty rolled her eyes, "Tyler's in the garage freaking out a bit," she explained to Buttercup. "I told him it's not the end of the world if we have to cancel the show-"

" _No way_! We are _not_ cancelling the show!" Tyler shouted as he came down the hallway. The shaggy haired man was dressed in his best green plaid jeans, black leather jacket and combat boots, and clearly ready for the show. "I'm not missing this shit! We haven't had a platform to perform at since they shut the GGC down!" He marched over to the sofa and fell backwards onto the seat beside Sophia.

"Little hard to play a show without a bass player, Ty," Betty said. "We're not gonna have much of a choice but to cancel if he's not here in the next ten minutes."

Tyler stomped his feet in a bit of a tantrum as he cried out dramatically, "But I _need_ to perform!"

Betty rolled her eyes a little, before cupping her hand over her mouth and whispering to Buttercup, "He swears he's such a rock star."

Buttercup smirked a little before she took another swig of soda.

"Hey!" Tyler narrowed his eyes at Betty, "I heard that!"

"It's just some generic show at the pier, Tyler," Betty said, "We're gonna be playing to a crowd of shitty tourists and old folks, so it's not gonna be as fun as our shows at the GGC anyway."

"I don't care," Tyler crossed his arms, "A show's a show by this point. Dude, it's like I'm the only one who cares about this band anymore."

Betty sighed, "Why don't you call the booker now and ask if we can reschedule?"

"I did already and the dude said they had the stage booked up every night for their summer shows, so this is our only shot. Jeez, Betty, you should know by this point that the man ain't gonna do any favors for us punks," he frowned. Tyler leaned back in his seat with his arms still crossed as his eyes fell on Buttercup. He stared at her for a moment before a slow sly smile began to sweep his face, " _Hey_ , you play the bass, don't ya, Fea?"

Buttercup raised an eyebrow. "Uh..." she hesitated, "Yeah, I do."

Tyler shot up from his seat and quickly reached into his leather jacket to retrieve a crumbled up sheet of paper. He unfolded the setlist and forced Buttercup to take it in her hands. "You know these songs, right?"

Buttercup read the list of songs he had written down and slowly nodded. "Sure, I guess I do..."

Tyler pumped a fist in the air, "Yes! Fea saves the day!" He gave Buttercup a slap on the back and grinned, "Come on! Let's get going! I already have the truck loaded up with our equipment and ready-"

" _Dude_ ," Buttercup interrupted, "I can't play in the show."

"Why the fuck not?!" Tyler shouted back immediately.

"Well first of all, I'm supposed to watch Sophia for Ace-"

"We can bring her with us!" Tyler interrupted, "Like Betty said, it's gonna be low key so she'll be fine there! She'll have fun! Won't ya, Soph?"

Sophia spun around in her seat, "Will Nino come to the show?"

"Yeah, I'm sure he'll show up at some point," Tyler said.

"OK, yeah!" Sophia cheered.

Buttercup sighed, "OK, but second of all," she paused to set down her can of soda on the coffee table, "Don't you think people will recognize me?"

"She's got a point," Betty added, "She's got a face that's hard to miss." Buttercup glanced at her and Betty smiled weakly, "No offense."

Buttercup crossed her arms as she faced Tyler, "Yeah, I'm not lookin' to draw any more attention to myself, Dude. This stupid city already treats me like Sasquatch enough as it is," she scoffed.

"What about some makeup?" Tyler suggested. Buttercup narrowed her eyes at him, and Tyler quickly added, "Nah, I didn't mean _makeup_ makeup! I know you ain't like a _chick_ chick. I meant like some Halloween makeup or something! Ya know, some face paint! Just to cover up," he paused as he waved his hand around the teenager's scarred face, "...You know."

"I know how to hide your face!" Sophia gasped loudly as she hopped off from the sofa and ran quickly down the hallway.

As Buttercup watched the little girl disappear down the hall, Tyler fell to his knees and took Buttercup's scarred hand in his as he began to beg, "Please, Fea! You have no idea how long I've been waiting for this gig, Man!"

Buttercup looked from Tyler to Betty, who just gave her a small shrug. "Dude... I dunno..."

"Here!" Sophia shouted as she ran back into the living room carrying something in her hands, "Last year for Halloween, I was an alien from outer space!" she handed what she held to Buttercup, and Buttercup saw then that it was a Halloween mask. "You can borrow it if you want!"

Buttercup took the green colored alien mask in her hands, and studied it for a moment. She smirked a little and reached down towards the eight-year-old and tousled her hair, "Thanks, Runt."

"So, is that a yes then?" Tyler jumped to his feet as he continued to stare at Buttercup with begging eyes.

Buttercup couldn't help but laugh a little at the pathetic desperation on Tyler's face then. She rolled her eyes. "Fine, Dude."

"Yes!" Tyler pumped his fist in the air once more, "Let's go!"

Buttercup watched as Tyler bolted for the front door, running straight for his pickup truck he had parked outside. Betty walked over to Sophia and took her by the hand, and began to walk with her to the truck as well. Buttercup looked down at the green mask in her hands, and then noticed a mirror hanging on the wall to her left. As she approached the mirror, she adjusted the strap to the plastic face mask, and pulled on her disguise. She cocked her head to the side as she stared back at the alien face in the mirror. "I guess it'll do," she said with a shrug.

* * *

It was starting to get dark, as the sun began to set for the evening. Blossom gazed out the window to her left from where she sat at the small diner table, and watched as the sun began to disappear behind the horizon beyond the beach pier. As the waitress sat down the strawberry milkshake she had ordered on the table, her cellphone buzzed with a text message. It was from Bubbles, asking if she was still at the library. Blossom paused for a moment before answering.

"Yes," she typed her message and hit send. She sat her cellphone back down on the table, with the screen faced downward, and let out a long sigh. She didn't like having to lie to her sister, but what choice did she have? Sure, Bubbles probably wouldn't care, but she was terrible at keeping a secret. It was mainly Buttercup who Blossom wanted to protect in the situation. Even though it had been years since she started swearing that she no longer liked Robin, Blossom was certain that if she ever found out the two of them had secretly started dating last fall, it would break her sibling's heart.

Blossom's pink eyes fell on Robin as she watched her walk from the other end of the diner and make her way back towards their booth table. Her shoulder length brown hair was wavy and still a little damp from the ocean water. She had used the diner's bathroom to change out of her swimsuit and into a pair of cut off jean shorts and tank top. Blossom couldn't help but admire how perfectly her girlfriend's skin now glowed after their long summer beach day together.

Robin giggled a little as she sat across from Blossom, "Quit staring so hard," she teased. "People might get the wrong idea, you know?"

Blossom blushed, but said nothing.

Robin smiled back at Blossom, finding her blushed cheeks to be pathetically adorable. She always liked to tease Blossom often about the secrecy of their relationship, but sometimes she wished it didn't have to be that way. Of course, she understood why Blossom was strictly against any public displays of affection. As a famous superhero, Blossom couldn't be out in public without being recognized by everyone she met. As much as she would have loved to be able to reach across the table and simply hold her girlfriend's hand, she knew she couldn't do so without drawing the attention of all the constant onlookers. Blossom said she wasn't ready for anyone to know, and Robin could respect that. Though as time went on, it definitely got more and more difficult for her.

Blossom took a plastic red straw from the table's straw dispenser and placed it inside her milkshake. Before she could take a sip for herself, Robin reached across the table and snatched the milkshake from her hands. Blossom laughed a little, " _Hey_! Get your own!"

Robin sipped from the straw as she giggled. She slid the frozen treat back towards Blossom and smiled innocently, "I just wanted a taste."

Blossom laughed as she shook her head, "I can order another if you'd like."

"No thanks," Robin smiled.

Blossom's cellphone began to buzz as it began to ring from a call, and she groaned a little.

"Whose that?"

"Bubbles."

"Oh," Robin stared at the phone as it began to vibrate across the table. "Why don't you answer it?"

"'Cause I'm supposed to be at the library tutoring right now." Blossom reclined in her seat as she pouted and sipped from her strawberry milkshake.

Robin waited for Blossom's phone to stop buzzing before she continued, "You know, I've been thinking..."

"About?"

"Well, we've been- you know- since last Halloween. It's gonna be a year soon, so maybe..."

"Maybe?"

"Well," Robin sat up a little, "Maybe we should tell your family."

Blossom blinked back at Robin as she leaned forward and sat down her milkshake. Before she could answer, she heard a woman's voice ask politely, "Excuse me, Blossom?"

Blossom turned to see a middle aged woman with a little girl by her side, hiding shyly behind her. "Oh, hello," Blossom smiled at the strangers. "How can I help you?"

The woman smiled at Blossom, "My daughter is your biggest fan. Do you think she can get a quick picture with you?"

Blossom nodded as she began to stand, "Of course." She stepped towards the little girl and smiled, "What's your name?"

"Kaitlyn," the tiny shy girl in glasses squeaked.

"Nice to meet you, Kaitlyn," Blossom offered her a low five and the small child giggled a little as she slapped her tiny hand against the superhero's. Blossom stood beside the little girl and posed with a smile as Kaitlyn's mother used her cellphone to take a picture. As soon as the photo was taken, Blossom gave the little girl one last smile, "Take care, Kaitlyn!"

Robin sat quietly as she waited for Blossom to finish up with her fans. As the redhead returned to her seat, Robin watched as the forced smile on Blossom's face began to fade as soon as the strangers had left. She could tell before they had arrived that Blossom wasn't too thrilled to hear her suggestion, and as Blossom stayed quiet for several minutes after, Robin could also tell her mind was starting to race.

Robin leaned forward and spoke softly, "Hey, I know you're nervous, but I really think all this hiding stuff is causing more anxiety for you than anything."

Blossom took her milkshake again and sipped quietly for a while. "I just don't think it's the right time yet, Robin."

Robin frowned a little. "I get not wanting strangers to know your business, but your family's a different story, Blossom." She sighed, "Look, I didn't mean to upset you or anything. I'm sorry. I just want you to be happy."

Blossom sat down her milkshake and smiled weakly, "But I _am_ happy."

Robin returned a weak smile, but said nothing.

Blossom watched as Robin turned her head away from her and began to stare outside the window. Blossom's eyes searched the room for a moment, scanning for anyone who might be watching them. The corner of the diner where they sat appeared to be empty, and so Blossom gathered enough courage to reach across the table for Robin's hand.

Robin was surprised by the sudden touch, and her teal eyes were wide as she turned her face towards Blossom then. She was shocked to see Blossom's fingers gently lay on top of her resting hand on the table.

Blossom's eyes locked with Robin's as she kept her hand gently rested on top of hers. She leaned forward a little more and whispered softly, "I love you, Robin."

Robin turned over her hand on the table, and laced her fingers with Blossom's. "I love you, too, Blossom," she returned in a quiet whisper.

* * *

As the black stretch limousine circled around the neighborhood for the hundredth time, Ace's patience with the stubborn redhead was beginning to wear thin. It had seemed like they'd been driving throughout the city for hours, and while the driver claimed the reason for the long trip was that he kept getting lost, Ace had a sneaking suspicion as time went on that he wasn't going to be let out of that car until he agreed to help the bratty little villain with the plan she kept yammering on about.

"Yo Man, I said it was a left up there!" Ace shouted at Alfred through the glass divider.

Princess unfurled yet another blue print and forced Ace to take it in his hands, "You see, Daddy's the one who built the Villains Ward," Princess continued to explain as she tapped the oversized poster paper that held the architectural designs to the prison, "So, we would definitely have an upper hand when it comes to strategizing your escape."

"My escape?"

"Well, _duh_ ," Princess replied, "As soon as the guards figure out what's going on, they're gonna be all over you! But don't worry- I have several routes of escape already planned out!" She reached for one of the dozens of purple colored binders she had spread throughout the back of the limo, and next forced that into Ace's hands.

Ace opened the binder reluctantly and found about a hundred laminated pages of maps, lengthy worded instructions, and diagrams. He thumbed through the pages quickly, not really reading any of it.

"All you have to do is memorize all of them, that way you know every way possible to get out! When the time comes, you just pick whichever route works depending on wherever they start shooting!"

Ace massaged his temple for a moment and sighed heavily. "Shooting?"

"Well, _duh_. The guards are all armed in the Villains Ward."

Ace shut the binder closed and turned to Princess, "Why the hell do you wanna release the villains from the Villains Ward, anyways?"

"Ew, _no_ ," Princess wore a look of disgust. "You don't have to worry about the rest of those losers. Who cares about them? I just need the monkey." Princess paused, "And you know, while you're there if you want to bust your old friends out then you can!" she added with a smile as she fluttered her eyelashes. She then paused again before adding more seriously, "But that's some planning you have to do on your own time. I do _not_ have time for all of that!"

Ace shook his head, as he laughed a little. The whole thing seemed so ridiculous, he couldn't help it. "What do you need Mojo for?"

Princess's dark eyes narrowed for a moment on Ace as he chuckled. She did not appreciate his laughter. As much as it pained her, she forced herself to smile, "Well, that would be part two of my plan, which doesn't involve you frankly."

Ace raised an eyebrow. "So you want me to risk my life and my freedom, and you won't even tell me what for?" Ace shook his head, "Sorry, Princess, but it doesn't seem worth it to me." He handed the purple binder in his hands back to Princess, "Look, can you just take me home now? My band was supposed to have a show tonight at the beach pier, and I must be crazy fucking late by now. They're probably already there without me by this point."

Princess took the binder back from Ace, and bit her tongue for a moment. It was difficult for her not to just start yelling at Ace right then, but she was still trying to persuade him. If she blew up then, he would definitely not agree to help her. So she forced herself to smile again, "Alfred, let's take Ace to the pier," she called out.

"Right away, Miss," Alfred responded as the limousine made a sudden sharp U-turn.

Princess folded her hands on her lap as she turned back to Ace. "Ace," she began again with a sweet voice, as she began a new tactic. "I didn't know you were in a band! _Wow_ , that must be _so_ cool!"

"Yeah, and it'd be cool if I didn't miss our first gig in months, ya know."

Princess spoke up again to Alfred, "Alfred?"

"Right away, Miss," Alfred answered again as he stepped on the gas, ignoring the road's speed limit.

Princess smiled at Ace as she fluttered her lashes innocently once more, " _See_?" she gave Ace a small pat on his knee, "We're on the same team, Ace. I'll get you to your show."

Ace found himself gripping his seat nervously with his fingernails, as the limo sped along the road, screeching as it made another sharp turn onto Ocean Coast Highway. As Ace braced himself for the wild turn, he was surprised to see how composed Princess seemed to be despite the dangerous road maneuvers her driver made.

In less than three minutes, they had reached the beach parking lot, only the limo never stopped. It tore through a private access gate and headed straight onto the wooden pier itself. Alfred honked the vehicle's horn as they came upon groups of beach goers, warning them to get out of the limousine's path. As they finally slowed to a stop, Ace could see the stage where his band performed just beneath the roller coaster attraction on the pier.

Ace opened the rear door for himself before Alfred could successfully reach it. He stepped out of the limo and lowered his shades as his eyes fell on the stage. At first, he was confused as to who the masked bass player was on stage, but as he watched them aggressively bang their head to the music, matching Tyler's wild energy, he realized it was Buttercup. He laughed a little, "Hey, whaddya know? The kid ain't bad."

"Nino! You're here!" Sophia shouted as she immediately ran towards him.

As the young girl leapt for him, Ace caught her in his arms, and gave her a tight embrace, "Hey, Soph! Whatcha doin' here? You guys started the show without me?" he laughed a little.

Sophia bounced excitedly, "Yeah, look!" she pointed happily at the stage to a masked Buttercup, stage-left.

"I saw!" Ace grinned as he took Sophia's hand in his, and began to walk with her towards the stage.

Princess stepped out from the limo and onto the pier. She watched as Ace began to dance with the little girl that had greeted him. She wondered who the green child was, but imagined she must've been Ace's kid. As Ace spun the short little girl around in the air while they danced in time to the music of the band, Princess's brown eyes next fell on the stage.

The music the band played was loud, and she could hardly understand the shouting the guitarist was spitting into the microphone. It was hardly the type of music she would choose to listen to herself, but still wanting to win Ace over, Princess forced herself to walk closer to the stage, near where Ace and Sophia danced.

Princess stood to the left of the stage with her arms crossed, as she continued to watch Ace and Sophia. She flinched a little as the speaker on the corner of the stage boomed loudly in her ear. She stepped away and looked up as she watched the guitarist bounce across the stage. He fell against the bassist in an alien mask who also bounced about in place. When the two collided, the guitarist ricocheted off the bassist with such force, he was knocked clear across the stage.

Princess's eyes widened as she stared at the masked bassist in awe. They were clearly _very_ strong.

Tyler hopped back onto his feet, unscathed and unaffected, and played on until the end of the song. As the final notes rang out, he grasped the microphone at the center stage once more and shouted: "Thanks everyone! Goodnight!"

Ace and Sophia were pretty much the only members of the audience and they cheered and whistled as they clapped for the band. Princess reluctantly clapped as well.

"Wow," Princess said as she slowly clapped, "That was... something." She watched as the band members began to descend the stage steps.

"Fea, you son of a bitch, you rocked that shit!" Tyler offered Buttercup a high-five and Buttercup slapped her hand against his with such force, the man winced a little, "Yo, easy there, Man!"

Buttercup's laughter was muffled by the plastic mask as she apologized, "Sorry, Dude! Guess I'm just pretty pumped up now."

Princess noticed how the guitarist seemed to baby his hand a little after their high-five and she looked at the bassist again in amazement. "Hey, you're pretty strong, aren't you?"

Buttercup glanced at Princess, noticing her for the first time then. She shoved her hands in her pockets as she walked past her with the rest of the band and answered simply, "Yeah, I guess."

"Well, well, well," Tyler began as they reached Ace, "Look who finally decided to show!"

"Save it, Ty," Ace laughed. "You're the chump whose usually late to everything, not me." Ace turned to Buttercup and grinned, "Nice job, Kid. You sounded good up there. And," he snapped his fingers as he pointed at her, "I like the look, Dude."

"Thanks, Man," Buttercup laughed again.

As Princess watched the group interact with one another, the wheels inside her head began to turn. Her brown eyes were focused intently on the strong-armed teenager in the mask. She wondered how someone so skinny could be so freakishly strong. They didn't appear to have much of any muscle mass at all, yet there was no denying how easily they managed to fling their bandmate across the stage earlier. Who the hell was this person? Princess had been determined to win Ace over to her side to use him as the lackey for her next plot, but after witnessing what she saw in his mysterious friend, she was beginning to wonder if maybe this brute was a better choice for the mission.

"Come on, guys," Betty spoke, "The crew here said we had to clear the stage by seven, so let's get the truck loaded."

"Hell yeah, let's get back to the pad and get our smoke on!" Tyler pumped his fist in the air. "You in, Fea?" he asked Buttercup.

"Hell yeah!" Buttercup answered.

Buttercup began to follow after everybody, but Princess stepped in her path. " _Feya_ , is it?" she smiled as she stood in her way, "I'm Princess."

Buttercup stood with her hands still in her pockets, "Yeah, I know who you are." She paused, "And Fea's not my name. Just a nickname, I guess."

"It's pretty!"

"It's Spanish for 'ugly.'"

" _Oh_ ," Princess was caught off guard by this. "So, they call you Ugly? Is that why you're wearing the mask? Because you're ugly?"

Buttercup couldn't help but laugh. "Yeah, I guess you could say that."

Princess stared at the strange stranger for a moment. She shook off her confusion, before continuing, "Well, anyways, I was trying to offer your buddy Ace a rather rewarding job opportunity, but he doesn't seem interested. Perhaps you would be?"

Buttercup stared at her for a moment, but before she could reply, Ace came up behind her and grasped her by the shoulders. "Come on, Kid," Ace said as he began to guide Buttercup away from Princess. "You don't wanna get caught up in that mess. Trust me."

" _Excuse_ me?!" Princess shouted, offended entirely. She began to march angrily after them, but stopped in her tracks when she heard a loud banging noise come from the roller coaster attraction just behind them.

Princess, Ace and Buttercup all turned around at once, and looked up towards the roller coaster's loop where the coaster cars had stopped. The train of cars was halted in the middle of the loop, causing all the riders on board to be suspended upside down.

"Uh oh," Ace lowered his shades as he stared up at the trapped riders, "I don't think that's supposed to happen."

The passengers of the ride began to cry out for help. Some of them groaned from the severe whiplash they had endured as the roller coaster came to a sudden, unexpected stop. After several moments, there was another loud clicking noise heard, and suddenly the over-the-shoulder restraints that kept the riders safely in their seats gave way. As the padded restraints unlocked and flew upward, it wasn't long before the riders began to fall.

When Buttercup saw this, an instinct inside her kicked in, and she was gone before anyone else could see it.

Princess turned around then, and saw that the masked stranger had vanished while she was distracted by the coaster accident. "Where the hell did Feya go?"

* * *

Blossom walked alongside Robin on the beach pier. They had just left the diner and were on their way back towards the beach parking lot when they heard the loud bang come from the ocean side roller coaster. They looked up with surprise as they witnessed the train stop mid-loop. Next horror swept their faces as they next saw the safety latches fail.

Blossom took off with a flash of pink light and immediately sprung into action. She reached the first rider just before he could hit the pavement below. Blossom caught the man and sat him gently on the floor with such speed, the man had no idea what happened.

A crowd of onlookers gathered fast around the roller coaster as they watched quick flashes of pink and green dart about the air, rescuing the falling riders in quick succession.

Buttercup snatched two younger riders at once by their shirt collars, and lowered them onto the ground below. As they reached the ground, the younger of the two siblings she rescued began to cry as she seemed repulsed by Buttercup's scarred hand that grasped her shirt and she pulled away as soon as she could.

Blossom touched down next, carrying a woman to safety with her.

Blossom and Buttercup blinked at each other, " _What are you doing here?_ " they demanded of one another at the same time.

"What am _I_ doing here?" Buttercup repeated, "You said you were at the library today. That's clear on the other side of town!"

Blossom's face flushed for a moment but she quickly shook it off. Before she could say anything both she and Buttercup heard more cries for help from above. They looked up and saw that two more riders still dangled helplessly from the roller coaster.

"Never mind that!" snapped Blossom, "Come on!"

The two shot off once more. Blossom flew towards the rider on the right, and Buttercup took the rider on the left.

The teenager that Blossom flew towards lost his grasp of the metal bar he had been clinging to, but the pink Powerpuff was right underneath him to catch him instantly. He landed in her arms and she swiftly carried him to the safety of the ground below.

Buttercup reached the man who dangled from the rear car of the roller coaster. He held onto the safety headrest with one hand as he kicked his feet desperately and cried out for help. "Calm down, Man," Buttercup shouted as she approached him, "I got you-"

" _NO_!" the rider shouted and swatted at Buttercup with his free hand. "Not _you_! I'll wait for your sister instead!"

Buttercup stared at him for a moment in disbelief, but that shock quickly turned to anger, "What the fuck is wrong with you?!" she yelled at the man, "You're about to drop to your death, _idiot_!"

She watched the man flail around helplessly for a moment before she rolled her eyes and plucked him from the roller coaster.

"I said 'NO!'" the man shouted again again as Buttercup held him by both arms. He wildly kicked his dangling legs as she carried him through the air.

Buttercup's patience came to an abrupt end in that moment. " _Fine_!" she snapped. " _Have it your way then_!" Still some eighty feet off the ground, she let him go.

Blossom stood on the ground as she looked up and saw the falling, screaming man. Her pink eyes widened as she gasped and darted for him. Blossom caught him just in time, sparing him from what would have been a brutal impact. "Sir, are you OK?" she asked him as she sat him on the ground.

"Your sister just tried to kill me!" he shouted angrily.

The large crowd of onlookers that surrounded them instantly erupted into loud booing and jeers aimed towards the green Powerpuff who still hovered in the air above them. Blossom blinked in astonishment at the crowd for several moments, before she looked up to Buttercup who glared angrily back at the rowdy people below. She watched as Buttercup gritted her teeth and showed the crowd her middle finger, causing them to boo even louder at her. She shot the citizens one last scowl before she took off with a flash of green light.

Blossom flew off after her, and followed her into the evening sky. As they rose higher into the atmosphere, Blossom called after her, "Buttercup! Wait!"

Buttercup halted in the sky and turned to face her sister. " _What?_!" she snapped at her.

Blossom shook her head with wide pink eyes, still somewhat in disbelief as to the events that just happened. "What happened back there, Buttercup? Did you seriously drop that guy on purpose?"

"So what if I did, huh?!" Buttercup snarled. "Fucking jerk had it coming anyway!"

" _Buttercup_!"

"Well, he did!"

Blossom began to shake her head again, "Buttercup, there's nothing that man could've done that was bad enough for you to endanger his life like that!"

Buttercup glared at her, "Can't you wait till we get home for you to start your 'How Buttercup fucked up this time' lecture?!"

Blossom stared back at Buttercup. It had been a while since she last saw her that angry. The skinny teen's entire body shook with rage as she hovered in the sky and she scowled at Blossom with a burning hatred in her eyes. Blossom could not believe just how fast her sibling seemed to snap. One moment she was saving lives, just like her, and the next...

Blossom swallowed hard before she slowly floated towards her sibling. She frowned as she spoke softly, "Come on, Buttercup. Let's go home."


	8. Sixteen

**Villain: Redux**

By: Yay Ninja Bob

* * *

A/N: Thanks everyone for your patience with the slower updates; here's a big fat chapter to make up for it I hope lol. I had to take a short break from writing, so it delayed this chapter a bit more than I would have liked. I'm back on track though, and just judging on how my writing's been going over the last month, I'm estimating updates will be every 5-6 weeks for the next upcoming chapters. If I can manage to get them up sooner, I definitely will try. I'll try to have the next chapter up by either Tuesday, August 25th or the latest Tuesday, September 1st. I'll be sure to keep my progress with 9 updated on my tumblr - yayninjabob dot tumblr dot com.

Personally, I've been pretty excited/anxious for chapter 8 and I would love to hear everyone's thoughts on this one. So please if you have the time to leave a review/comment I would super appreciate it! Thanks again to all of you lovely reviewers- your words really give me fuel on days when writing isn't coming as naturally as I'd like. Big, detailed reviews or the small, brief comments- everything helps me as the author.

OK, onto chapter 8. I really hope you all enjoy this one. Thanks again for reading! :)

* * *

**Part II: Hate & War**

**Chapter 8**

**Sixteen**

The kennels were quiet as Bubbles shut off the light for the evening. All the animals that lived there at the pet hospital were fast asleep, happy and content with full bellies. Caring for the rescues that lived there was one of the teenager's favorite parts of her part-time job at the pet hospital. It was what inspired her to do the same for the coyotes in her own free time. The only difference between the orphaned dogs at the hospital, and the coyotes she cared for in the city forest, was that eventually the dogs at the hospital would find a new family to call home. When Bubbles first began her coyote sanctuary, she would have loved for her coyotes to eventually find families to call their own, too. However, she quickly realized they were feared too much by most citizens of Townsville for that to ever happen. To Bubbles, that didn't matter though. If no one else was willing to give the coyotes a chance, she was more than happy to care for them every day. If no one else would have them as family, she was proud to call them hers.

As Bubbles left the kennels, she checked her pant's pocket for her cell phone. She only took a moment to glance at the device, checking for any messages from Buttercup, who should have texted her by then, but there were no messages.

"Hey, Bubbles," another veterinary assistant called out to her from down the hallway. "Dr. Weaver's asking for you in exam room two when you get a chance."

The teenager returned her cell to her pockets and responded cheerfully, "OK!"

Bubbles entered the second examination room where Dr. Weaver and a middle-aged woman stood around the exam table at the center of the room. Upon the table, sat a caged green bird. The tiny parakeet looked subdued, perched on its branch, with its head tucked out of sight, hiding behind its wing. The veterinarian gently placed her hand inside the cage and reached for the small budgie. The green feathered bird responded by lifting its head and stretching its wings out, as it inched further away from the vet's hand. The tiny creature ruffled its feathers, revealing a very sparse spot on its neck and chest. It then stubbornly returned its tiny head to behind its wing.

"The feather plucking hasn't improved, I see," Dr. Weaver said as she retracted her hand from the cage and closed the door.

"No, it's been the same since last we saw you, Doctor. He tears at his feathers every day now it seems."

"Hmm," the short, elderly veterinarian adjusted her eye glasses as she studied the caged parakeet. "We've ruled out dietary issues. We've ruled out parasites. We've ruled out allergies, and all his blood work has returned normal. No signs of infection. That leaves just one possibility," the short woman looked up from the cage and at the pet owner. "I think we are dealing with something psychological, here." She sighed a little, "Obsessive grooming can be a result of many things. Boredom for instance."

"He's ripping his feathers out because he's bored?" the woman blinked back in confusion.

"It's more common than you would think, actually. Especially common with single bird households. They're incredibly smart creatures, you know. They need some mental stimulation in their environment. Without it," the vet paused to raise a finger to her head, and twirled it in a circular motion, "Boredom."

"But he's got bells, and ropes, and even a little swing to play on- not that he ever uses any of it," the owner responded, still looking confused. "When I purchased him at a bird shop for my son's birthday last month, I was sure to get everything they said he needed."

As the veterinarian explained the situation to the bird owner, Bubbles stood dutifully in the corner of the exam room, waiting to be called upon by Dr. Weaver. Her bright blue eyes fell on the tiny green bird as he continued to hide behind his wing. She watched the budgie curiously and thought he looked awfully scared.

"Lucky for you, I have my assistant Bubbles here for the evening," Dr. Weaver said with a smile as she nodded towards the blonde haired girl in pigtails.

Bubbles perked up as she was acknowledged.

"Bubbles, would you ask our tiny feathered friend here how he's feeling?"

"Of course, Doctor," Bubbles smiled as she began to walk towards them at the center of the room.

The veterinarian moved away from the table so that Bubbles could get a closer look at the bird. She knelt down in front of the cage and spoke in a soft chirp, "Hi, I'm Bubbles. What's your name?"

The small bird remained still for a while, but eventually peaked shyly from behind his wing, and answered with a short whistle, "Lorenzo."

"Hi, Lorenzo," Bubbles chirped, "Can I ask you why you're hiding from everyone?" The tiny bird slowly lowered his wing, to show Bubbles his bare patch of missing feathers on his neck and chest. Bubbles gave him a reassuring smile, "You don't have to hide that from us. That's why you're here. So Dr. Weaver can help." She paused, "Your owner says you've been plucking your feathers out at home. Can you tell me why?"

Lorenzo the parakeet blinked his tiny beaded black eyes at the girl. He turned his head and gave a quick chirp, "I just wanted to clean up, but..." the bird shook his feathers, "it got out of control." Lorenzo whistled, "I can't seem to fix it now. It only gets worse."

Bubbles gave the bird another reassuring smile, "That's OK. I think you still look beautiful, Lorenzo." The girl reached into the cage and gave the tiny bird a gentle pat, "And don't you stress about it. Your feathers will grow back in some time." She smiled a little as the tiny bird rubbed his head affectionately against her hand.

The bird's owner looked on with amazement, "He's been pretty quick to bite lately." she confessed.

"Well, Bubbles has a special way with animals," Dr. Weaver spoke to the owner as they continued to watch the young Powerpuff chirp back and forth with the bird. "I've seen her talk down some of our most troublesome patients. Birds can take weeks, even months to gain trust with a new human depending on the circumstances. Bubbles, however, is a natural."

"But Lorenzo," Bubbles continued to sing to the bird in its language, "You should probably leave your feathers alone for awhile if you can help it."

The tiny budgie ruffled his feathers once more, "I'll try..." he responded glumly, "I just wish Maria was here."

"Maria?" Bubbles repeated in a small chirp.

"She is my love, and I am hers," the budgie sang sweetly. "Well," Lorenzo tilted his head as he whistled softly, "At least I used to be until they took me from the big cage, and put me here."

"The big cage?" Bubbles repeated. She thought about this for a moment. She turned to the bird's owner and quickly asked, "Did you buy Lorenzo from that one bird shop in Downtown? The one that looks like a giant bird cage from the outside?"

"Lorenzo?" the woman blinked back at Bubbles, "His name is Avocado, but yes, I purchased him at Birdland. Why?"

Bubbles returned her attention to Lorenzo. "Lorenzo, tell me more about Maria," she whistled sweetly.

The green budgie seemed to perk up at just the mention of her name. "She is beautiful," he chirped as he raised his head. "Yellow feathers that shine brighter than the sun. We grew up together in the big cage. She has always been my special someone, and so I..."

"You miss her," Bubbles completed with a soft whistle, "Of course you do, Lorenzo." Bubbles frowned a little as she gave the bird one last comforting pat, "I understand."

Dr. Weaver joined Bubbles once more at the exam table, "So what does our little birdie have to say, Bubbles?"

Bubbles closed the small door to Lorenzo's cage and turned towards the veterinarian, "He's feeling pretty self conscious about his feathers, and he says he's just been trying to fix it himself." Bubbles frowned again, "And he says he misses another bird he used to live with at Birdland named Maria."

The veterinarian and the woman chuckled a little in response to Bubbles' last comment, but the blue Powerpuff could not see what was so funny.

"Ah, yes," Dr. Weaver smiled, "It sounds like he's having a difficult time adjusting to his new environment then. This would explain the obsessive grooming," she turned to the owner, "You'll have to be patient with Avocado. Some birds just take longer to readjust than others. In the meantime, giving him some extra care and attention should help speed things along." She retrieved a pen from her white coat pocket and began to scribble something on the bird's patient record. "I suggest moving his cage to a window, or an area where he gets a nice view. Switch out his cage's toys for new ones, and rotate them out regularly to keep his environment new and stimulating for him. I'd also recommend getting him a tiny mirror for his cage."

"A mirror?" the woman repeated.

"Yes, it can help with the loneliness felt in single bird homes. Most birds see their own reflection and don't know the difference between it and another bird, you see. Maybe a mirror in his cage can become his new 'Maria,'" she chuckled again.

"Or," Bubbles spoke up with a hopeful smile, "If you'd like, Ma'am, I could help you reunite Loren- I mean Avocado- with Maria. If you brought her home to live with him, I'm sure he'd be better than ever!"

"Oh," the woman smiled weakly at Bubbles, "That's sweet, but... I think I'll try the mirror first. One bird has proven to be more work than I thought it would be as it is."

Bubbles' hopeful smile slowly turned to a frown, but she said nothing more as she waited patiently for Dr. Weaver to finish her visit with Lorenzo and his owner. Her blue eyes were focused on Lorenzo, and she could feel her heart break a little from the idea of the budgie living the rest of his days out in depressing solitude. She watched as the woman covered the cage with a dark colored sheet, and carried it with her as she followed the vet back into the lobby.

Bubbles hovered quietly behind them, as the bird owner approached the lobby's front desk with the covered birdcage in her arms. The woman seemed to struggle to retrieve her purse while she simultaneously held onto the cage, and so Bubbles quickly volunteered, "Here," she said as she offered to take the cage from her, "Let me help."

"Thank you, Bubbles!" the woman smiled cheerfully as Bubbles took the cage from her.

As Bubbles waited for the woman to pay her fees at the front desk, Dr. Weaver approached her from behind. "Nice work today, as always, Bubbles," the veterinarian held out an envelope for Bubbles to take. "Here's your week's pay, and I included a small little birthday bonus for you, Dear. See you again next week?"

Bubbles nodded as she took the sealed envelope from her, "Aw, Thanks, Dr. Weaver," she smiled, "Yeah, see you next week!"

Dr. Weaver smiled as she waved goodbye to Bubbles and the receptionist for the evening, and left through the hospital's main entrance.

Bubbles returned her attention to Lorenzo's owner, "Can I help you out to your car, Ma'am?"

The woman smiled back, "That would be wonderful! Thank you, Bubbles! You really are the sweetest."

Bubbles continued to carry the covered cage as she followed the woman out of the hospital, through the small parking lot, and to her car. As they reached her vehicle, Bubbles spoke up once more, "You know, Ma'am, I don't want to overstep but..." she paused as the woman unlocked her car's door, "I really would love to help Lor- Avocado- find Maria. After speaking to him, I really do believe he will be much happier if the two of them were together."

The woman frowned a little, "I'm sorry, Bubbles, but I... well, I don't want another bird. This bird has already cost me more in vet bills in the last month than he is even worth. More than 200 dollars so far, and now I'll have to go get him more toys, and a mirror..." She sighed a little, "I almost wish I had gotten my son a simple goldfish for his birthday instead."

The woman took the cage from Bubbles' grasp, and as she did the animal lover's heart sank once more. She watched helplessly as the woman sat the birdcage in her car's passenger seat and shut the door with a hard slam.

As the woman turned to walk towards the driver's side of her car, Bubbles stepped in her path, "Wait," she said as she reached into her pocket and retrieved the sealed envelope containing her week's pay. "I'll buy him from you. How does that sound?"

The woman blinked back for a moment, "You want to buy him? But why? He's missing half his feathers at this point, and you heard what the doctor said. He's going to be a lot of work-"

"You said you've spent over 200 so far?" Bubbles interrupted.

"Well... yes, but-"

Bubbles pulled out the majority of bills from her envelope of pay, "How about 250?" Bubbles held out the cash for the woman to take, but she just stared at the girl in somewhat shock. "Please," Bubbles insisted. "I really would love to care for him. I'll make sure that he's happy, and well... with this money you could get your son a really nice aquarium with lots of goldfish if you wanted."

The woman smiled, and finally reached for the money in the young teen's hand and took it. "Well," she said as she placed the money inside her purse, "If it really means that much to you, then I guess he's yours."

A giant smile swept Bubbles' face as the woman retrieved the birdcage from her car and handed it to her then. "Thank you, Ma'am!" her blue eyes shined brightly as she took the cage in her arms, "I promise you! He's going to have the best life ever!"

"Good luck!" The woman couldn't help but laugh a little as she climbed into her car's driver seat and shut the door. She rolled down her window and gave the blue Powerpuff a small wave as she drove off.

Bubbles continued to grin big as she carefully rested the birdcage by her feet for a moment. She retrieved her cell phone from her pocket and checked it again for any messages. There were none, and she quickly dialed for Buttercup to get to the bottom of her whereabouts. Her call rang several times before an answer.

"What?" Buttercup sounded short on the other end.

"Hellooo?" Bubbles replied back, "You said you weren't going to be that late and I'm done with work already! I need your help with something before we go home-"

"I'm already home," Buttercup interrupted in a low mutter.

"What?" Bubbles paused. The somber tone in her sibling's voice was a familiar one. "What happened?" She pressed the phone closely to her ear as she waited for an answer, but all she heard was a long sigh on the other end. "Buttercup, what happened?" Bubbles repeated.

"Nothin.'"

"Then why are you home already?"

Another long sigh, before she muttered back, "I dunno. I was at the pier, and then I ran into Blossom, and stuff happened- like usual, everyone's just blowing it out of proportion, and-"

"You and Blossom went to the pier without me?!" Bubbles interrupted, sounding offended, "No fair, Buttercup, you always say you hate the beach and never wanna go with me when I wanna-"

"Bubbles, that's not the point," Buttercup interrupted. She sighed again, "Look, I told the Professor already that I ended my shift at the hospital before you, so back me up on that, alright?"

"OK," Bubbles frowned. "Are you in trouble for something?"

"I dunno. Probably. Eventually, I'm sure. What else is new?"

Bubbles listened to her sister closely, and knew from the sound of her voice that whatever happened had Buttercup pretty upset. "Well," Bubbles began, "If you're not grounded yet, how about coming out here to help me with something?"

Buttercup groaned on the other end, "Bubbles, I'm really not in the mood-"

"Please! Think about it! If you think there's a chance you're gonna get grounded later then this could be your last chance to be out on a real adventure!"

"Somehow I doubt whatever you have planned would be an adventure," Buttercup muttered on the other end. She sighed. "Fine. Where are you?"

"Meet me in Downtown on Second and Main."

"Alright. See ya soon."

Bubbles hung up her cell and returned it to her pant's pocket. She then knelt down for the birdcage and carried it in her arms once more. She quickly removed the dark sheet covering the cage and grinned big at Lorenzo as she whistled to him, "Don't worry, Lorenzo! My sister's on her way now, and we'll go get your Maria! And then the two of you can live happily together with our family! How's that sound?"

Lorenzo perked up from where he sat on his branch, "Really?!" he bobbed his head with excitement. "Thank you, Bubbles!"

* * *

As Buttercup descended the staircase of their home, she could hear that Blossom was downstairs in the living room. Buttercup had gone straight to her room after the two of them got home that evening. She had planned to stay there for the night just to avoid her redheaded sister. It wasn't uncommon for her to try and lecture Buttercup whenever she felt her behavior had crossed the line of what was acceptable "for a Powerpuff Girl," and Buttercup just didn't have the patience that night to deal with it. She still felt irritated by the whole roller coaster incident earlier that evening. All she tried to do was the right thing, and be the hero everyone claimed they wanted. She saved more than a dozen lives that night, yet everybody there seemed more concerned over the theatrics made by some asshole. Even her own sister sided with the jerk. At least, that's how Buttercup viewed it.

Buttercup was careful to hover as quietly as possible as she approached the living room. She peered cautiously around the corner, and spotted Blossom in the middle of the room. She was surrounded by the piles of birthday packages that had been delivered earlier that day. The tall girl sat cross legged on the floor with bundles of enveloped letters on her lap, as she sorted through them, separating them by which Puff they were addressed to. While her pink eyes seemed distracted by what she read, Buttercup continued to move past the living room and towards their home's front door.

"Where are you going?" Blossom looked up just as her sister passed by.

Buttercup stopped and answered with a groan, "Out."

"Out where?"

"Jeez, Blossom, curfew's not for another two hours, you know."

"I know," Blossom sat aside the bundle of letters she held, and stood up from the ground. "That still doesn't answer my question though." She frowned. "So where are you going?"

"I'm going to get Bubbles at work, alright?"

"What does she need you for?"

"How should I know? She called and asked me to come. You know she's a big baby. She's probably upset that I left her there earlier and wants me to get ice cream for her or something stupid."

"Oh," Blossom frowned a little, feeling a little left out.

"Yeah, so see ya," Buttercup muttered as she started towards the door again.

"Wait," Blossom moved quickly through the living room and stood in Buttercup's path. "With everything that happened earlier," she began, "Do you really think you should be out there without-"

"Without what?" Buttercup's eyes narrowed on her sister.

Blossom frowned. "Look, I know you don't like to, but you have to admit that things are just a little easier when you-" she stopped as her sibling's emerald eyes only narrowed more intensely. It was always a touchy subject for her, and Blossom knew she had to choose her words carefully. She was only trying to look out for Buttercup, after all. The redhead sighed and started over, "Listen, Buttercup," she reached for her raven haired sibling and rested her hand on her shoulder, "I just think maybe you wouldn't have to deal with so much if you took a little time before you went out to just... cover up a little... Earlier at the pier, maybe if you had your scars covered then-"

"Then what?" Buttercup pulled away from Blossom as she glared at her, "I wouldn't look like the monster people think I am?"

Blossom frowned, "Those are just conspiracy freaks, Buttercup. Not everyone thinks that way, but when you act the way you do, and when you go out of your way to scare people time and time again, then-"

"Then what are they supposed to think?" Buttercup completed the statement for Blossom with a scoff. She gritted her teeth as she continued, "Look. It's summer. I'm not at school, and I'm not at some stupid photo shoot with you and Bubbles. So I ain't wearing any makeup. If people wanna freak out, fuck 'em." Buttercup forcefully tugged on her jacket's hoodie so it fit snugly around her head. " _There_ ," she said, "Covered up enough for ya?"

Blossom frowned, but said nothing. She moved out of Buttercup's path as she started for the door once more.

"Don't worry, Blossom. I'll be sure to try to not scare anybody while I'm out."

Blossom watched her sister leave and slam the door forcefully behind her. She then slowly returned to her spot on the living room floor where she still had several bundles of letters to sort through. As she lowered herself back onto the floor, her cell phone rang in her shorts' back pocket. "Hello?" Blossom answered automatically without bothering to check the caller ID.

"Hey," Robin answered on the other end, "Just thought I'd let you know I made it home."

Blossom's pink eyes widened, "Oh my God, Robin!" she exclaimed immediately as it dawned on her in that moment, "I am so sorry! I-I completely forgot! I just got so caught up in everything, and then Buttercup almost killed a guy, and then we came home, and she wasn't talking to me as if this whole thing was somehow my fault, and I-I just completely forgot about everything else! I swear I didn't mean to leave you stranded at the pier, I-I just-"

"Blossom," Robin interrupted, "It's OK. I get it. Really, I do."

Blossom sighed heavily. "...I'm the worst girlfriend ever, aren't I?"

"Nah, I'm pretty sure there's worse out there than you."

Blossom stood and made her way across the living room. She flew into her home's kitchen, and hovered in front of the window which faced Robin's house. As she looked out the window, she could see into Robin's own kitchen window. There, the brunette stood with a small smile and she waved at Blossom as soon as she appeared.

"That was a joke, by the way," Robin spoke through the phone as she waved from the window.

"I know," Blossom sighed as she waved back with a weak smile.

"So, what were you saying about Buttercup almost killing somebody?"

"Didn't you see?"

"By the time I made it over there, the crowd had gotten so big, I couldn't see anything really. Just a lot of people shouting and booing." Robin paused. "So what happened?"

Blossom frowned, "I don't know. All I know is she was carrying some guy I thought to safety. Next thing I know, he's screaming and falling from the sky. I barely had enough time to react and save him from hitting the ground. He told me immediately that Buttercup had tried to kill him, and-"

"And you believed him?"

"Well... no... I don't know..." Blossom sighed heavily once more, "I really don't know, Robin."

"Come on, Blossom," Robin began, "Buttercup's got a mean temper, but I don't think she'd try to kill anybody."

"I know, I know. I guess it's just... She's been doing pretty good for a while and now out of nowhere, this happens. When I confronted her on it, she literally told me that the guy deserved it. As if she meant to do it. So what am I supposed to think?"

"You know how she is. There were a lot of people there, Blossom, and they were all staring right at her- yelling at her, on top of that. You don't think that pissed her off? Just give her some time to cool off, ask her about it again and I'm sure she'll say he just slipped or something."

Blossom bit her lip nervously. "I'm just worried, Robin," she confessed. "There were so many people there, and they all seemed so appalled by what she did. I'm sure even if this guy doesn't talk to the press himself, somebody else that was there is bound to make this another big awful story. There's already so many terrible rumors about her, and her scars, and everything that I just don't understand why she doesn't act more carefully while she's out in public. Like maybe try not to flip off an entire crowd of people who believe you just tried to murder someone? It just seems like common sense to me. Am I wrong?"

"She probably could've handled the situation a little better than that, yeah," Robin smiled weakly from the window. "But you know these things eventually blow over. Everyone was saved, and everyone is safe. Isn't that what matters?"

Blossom sighed once more. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

"What was that?" the brunette smirked slyly from the window.

Blossom laughed a little. "You're right, Robin." She paused. "Robin, I... I really am sorry about forgetting you at the pier tonight."

"I told you it's fine. Just try and get some rest tonight, and quit worrying so much. OK?"

"OK," Blossom answered. She watched Robin as she blew on the glass of her kitchen window with her breath. She used her finger to draw a heart on the fogged up glass, and then rested her palm against the window as she smiled big at Blossom. Blossom couldn't help but show a smile in return.

"Good night, Blossom."

"Good night, Robin."

* * *

"What's with the cage?" Buttercup asked as she touched down onto the sidewalk beside Bubbles.

Bubbles held the cage up a little higher so that Buttercup was eye to eye with the tiny green bird who sat inside. "Buttercup, I'd like you to meet Lorenzo!" she beamed. "Lorenzo, this is my sister Buttercup!"

Buttercup blinked at the bird for a moment, and the bird blinked his tiny beaded eyes back at her.

"He's our new baby bird brother! Isn't he sweet?" Bubbles grinned.

"He looks kinda messed up," Buttercup answered honestly, "Like what's up with his feathers?"

Bubbles frowned, "Well that's why we're here." She turned and pointed across the street from where they stood. "He's missing his feathers because he's been so distraught over the lost love of his life! Her name is Maria and she lives in that bird store over there. They got separated after Lorenzo was bought by his old owner."

"Old owner?"

"Yeah! I bought him from her!"

"You _paid_ for this thing?" Buttercup gave a short laugh.

Bubbles narrowed her eyes on Buttercup for a moment before she continued, "Yes. And now we are going to go buy Maria."

Buttercup rolled her eyes, "You brought me out here to go bird shopping?"

"Well," Bubbles began, "Yeah, but I also need a big favor-" Bubbles saw that Buttercup opened her mouth then to say something and she quickly hushed her with one finger as she continued, "And before you say 'no,' can I please remind you that I always one thousand percent back you up on anything that ever happens and also I've covered for you like a bajillion times, and also-"

"OK, OK," Buttercup said, "What do you need?"

"Well, you know how the Professor has that strict 'no pets' rule?"

"Uh yeah. If he didn't, you'd have brought home an entire zoo by now, Bubs."

Bubbles frowned a little, "Well, I still think that it's not a very fair rule," she pouted. "I mean... I guess I kinda get it," she sighed. "But Lorenzo's different, Buttercup. You really don't understand how sad he is because he can't be with his love, Maria. And even after I told his owner, she didn't even care! All she cared about was how much money he was costing her, and it was just so sad, I had to do something!"

"Get to the point, Bubbles."

"OK, OK," Bubbles paused, "Well, the other week at work we had this kid come in with his pet iguana and he said it was his emotional support pet. I asked him what that meant and he said that his emotional support pet helped him with his PTSD and I said, 'Hey my sister has that!' and I went home and told the Professor about it, and he said 'Hm, that's an idea,' and I gasped and said we should get you an emotional support pet of your own, and then he said that it was a nice idea but it sounded like it was just me trying to get a pet for myself, and then I said 'But what if Buttercup asked for one though?' and he said 'Maybe.'"

"Uh huh..."

" _So_ ," Bubbles smiled weakly, "I was thinking if we went home together with the birds, you could say that they were yours, and maybe then the Professor would actually let me- I mean you- keep them."

Buttercup groaned, "Seriously?"

"Pleeease, Buttercup?" Bubbles' baby blue eyes began to glisten as she gave her sister the saddest puppy dog expression she could manage. "I promise I'll help you take care of them, and you don't even have to feed them if you don't want to! I'll take care of everything! Just keep them in your room and pretend that they're yours is all I need!"

Buttercup gritted her teeth for a full minute before she finally surrendered, "Ugh! Fine! You owe me though!"

"Yes! Yes! Yes!" Bubbles jumped with joy as she cheered. "Come on! Let's go!" She balanced the birdcage in one arm as she grabbed her sister by the hand and began to lead her across the street and towards the bird shop called Birdland.

As the two entered the store, they were immediately greeted by a friendly man in suspenders. "I don't believe it! It's Bubbles of the Powerpuff Girls! What a nice surprise! Welcome to Birdland! How can I help you and your friend this evening?"

Buttercup kept her hoodie drawn tight around her head, with the majority of her long black bangs in her face as she hid behind her sister and let her do the talking.

"Hi!" Bubbles greeted the man cheerfully. "We wanted to buy a budgie friend for our little budgie," Bubbles explained to the shopkeeper.

"Of course!" the man smiled, "Budgerigars are right this way," he said as he began to lead them through the massive bird palace.

They reached a giant, white wire cage which stretched so high up that it touched the ceiling. There were about a hundred parakeets of all different colors that flew around inside. Bubbles hovered close to the wire bars of the bird cage and lifted Lorenzo up once more. She whistled quietly to Lorenzo, "Well, Lorenzo, do you see Maria anywhere?"

The tiny green bird's black eyes seemed to dart about quickly as he searched for his beloved. He called out in a sweet song, "Maria! Maria, are you there? It's Lorenzo, my love!"

A few moments later, a tiny yellow feathered parakeet soared from the top of the cage down to where they stood. She fluttered in front of them while she turned her head curiously, "Lorenzo?" she chirped, "Is that really you?"

A massive grin swept Bubbles' face as she turned to Buttercup and nudged her excitedly, "It's her! It's Maria!"

Buttercup rolled her eyes a little, but at the same time, the tomboy wore a small smirk.

As the two birds sang to one another, celebrating their reunion, Bubbles turned to the shopkeeper, "How much is it for that yellow budgie there?"

"Budgerigars are forty-five dollars," he answered with a smile.

Bubbles' smile quickly turned to a frown.

"What's up?" Buttercup raised an eyebrow.

Bubbles turned to her and squeaked quietly, "After I bought Lorenzo, I only have about fifty dollars left, and... I still need to get bird seed, and then there's the coyotes. They need to eat, too..."

Buttercup shook her head, "Sorry, Bubs, I'm broke."

Bubbles frowned and turned back to the shopkeeper, "Actually, Sir, never mind. Can I just get a small bag of bird seed, please?"

"No problem," he answered, "I can ring you up at the register."

Buttercup watched as Bubbles' blue eyes began to water a little. She sniffled as she raised the cage in her hands to her face and whistled sadly to the bird.

"I'm _so_ sorry, Lorenzo, but we can't take Maria home today," Bubbles chirped, "We can come back next week and get her... I promise."

Buttercup watched as her sister carried Lorenzo with her to where the shopkeeper waited behind the register. The tiny green bird seemed to flutter about within his cage helplessly as he was carried further and further away from his yellow feathered companion. Buttercup turned to look at the yellow bird still inside the giant store cage. The bright colored budgie also fluttered about frantically as she chirped loudly after them.

"I'm so, _so_ sorry, Lorenzo," Bubbles continued to apologize in a sweet, soft whistle. It broke her heart to hear Lorenzo cry out for his beloved Maria, but there was nothing she could do. She paid for the small bag of bird seed, thanked the shopkeeper, and sadly and slowly floated out of the store.

As she reached the sidewalk outside, she sighed heavily as she raised Lorenzo's cage to her face once more. "Please, Lorenzo," she tried to soothe him with another whistle, "Please, don't be sad. At least we know she's here and like I said, we can come get her as soon as I have the money to buy her."

"But what if someone else takes her before then?!" the budgie chirped, sounding panicked.

Bubbles frowned, "You can't think like that Lorenzo," she chirped, "You two are each other's loves and you belong together. You're going to be together forever! I'll make sure of it!"

"What's he squawking about?" Buttercup asked as she joined her sister on the sidewalk.

Bubbles sighed heavily as the two of them began to cross the street together, "He's afraid that somebody will take Maria before I get the chance to buy her."

Buttercup gave a short laugh, "Well," she smirked, "He's kinda right."

"Don't say that, Buttercup!" Bubbles shouted, "That would be awful!"

Buttercup laughed again as she reached inside her hooded jacket through the collar, "Would it?" she asked with a smirk as she pulled out a tiny yellow bird.

"Maria!" Lorenzo immediately chirped.

Bubbles' blue eyes widened as they fell upon the parakeet Buttercup grasped safely in her scarred hand. "Oh my gosh, I can't believe it! Maria?!"

Buttercup only smirked as she reached for the birdcage door and opened it. She gently placed Maria inside with Lorenzo and the two birds immediately began to dance about happily with one another as they celebrated with high pitched chirps.

"But how did you get her?" Bubbles asked Buttercup.

Buttercup shrugged, "I'm fast."

Bubbles bit her lip nervously, " _Buttercup_..."

"What?" Buttercup answered. "Should I take her back then?"

Bubbles smiled weakly, "No." She stepped towards her sister and planted a loving kiss on her scarred right cheek. "You're the best sister ever, Buttercup."

"Yeah, yeah," Buttercup wiped the kiss from her face with her sleeved hand, "Whatever."

* * *

The next morning Bubbles stood in front of the bathroom mirror as she brushed her teeth and hummed cheerfully. She was still feeling pretty great about the previous night. She had successfully reunited two love birds, and also convinced the Professor into letting Buttercup keep them as emotional support pets. Now she had two new adorable bird friends, and most importantly they once again had each other. She couldn't have dreamed of a better night.

"Those two birds of yours kept me up all night with their annoying chattering. Do they ever shut up?" Buttercup yawned loudly as she entered the bathroom and stood beside her sister. She leaned forward against the sink counter as she reached for the medicine cabinet to retrieve her pill bottle of daily power stabilizer medication. She took a small glass that sat on the sink counter and filled it with water as she continued through another long yawn, "I still can't believe the Professor let us keep them. I thought for sure he'd say 'no way.'"

"I'm almost certain he said yes, because he's hoping a couple of little birdies will help you soften up, Buttercup," Blossom said as she entered the bathroom next. She looked from Buttercup to Bubbles, and placed her hands on her hips, "So, they really _are_ Bubbles' birds, huh?" She shook her head. "I knew it."

As Buttercup gulped down her medication, her eyes narrowed on Blossom. "Why you always gotta be eavesdropping, Blossom? Can't you ever just mind your business?"

Blossom reached over Buttercup for the medicine cabinet next and retrieved her own bottle of power stabilizer medication. As she opened the bottle to retrieve her pill for the day, she eyed Bubbles, "If you really wanted pet birds for yourself, Bubbles, you should have talked to me about it. You're a straight A student, you have a job volunteering at the pet hospital, it's our sixteenth birthday tomorrow…. You're not five anymore. I'm sure we could have convinced the Professor that you're now old enough and responsible enough to care for two little birds."

Bubbles spit the toothpaste from her mouth and smiled weakly, "You're not gonna tell the Professor that we tricked him, are you?"

Blossom shook her head as she swallowed her medicine. "No, I'm not." She sighed as she returned her pill bottle to the medicine cabinet, and reached for her pink toothbrush next. "So, what are their names anyway?"

"Lorenzo and Maria-"

"Nah way," Buttercup interrupted Bubbles. The tomboy had been brushing her teeth and her mouth dripped with foam as she spoke, "They're _my_ birds, remember?" She spit out her toothpaste in the sink and wiped her mouth with her long pajama shirt's sleeve, "Professor's never gonna believe I named them something lame like that."

Blossom laughed a little from behind her own toothbrush. "She's got a point, Bubbles."

"Yep," Buttercup smirked deviously. "Their names are Snot and Pus."

" _Ewww_ ," Bubbles and Blossom reacted in unison.

"What the heck, Buttercup?" Bubbles pouted, "Those are terrible names!"

Buttercup continued to smirk, "I _know_." She finished rinsing her toothbrush in the sink and tossed it back into its holder, "Now, will you two get outta here so I can shower? I gotta run to the store and buy some noise cancelling headphones so I can come back home and try to get some actual sleep."

"Hey, but you said you were broke yester-"

Buttercup interrupted her blue-eyed sister with a hard nudge on her shoulder. "No, I didn't."

"Well, I have to get to the library by ten thirty to meet Elmer for his SAT prep. So _I_ need to shower first," Blossom said as she rinsed her pink toothbrush in the sink.

"Um, _I_ was here first? I've just been waiting on you two to leave." Bubbles looked at both her siblings seriously, " _I'm_ showering first."

The three teenagers glanced at one another for a moment, before they all simultaneously bolted for the shower at the same time. Bubbles had been the closest, and so she narrowly managed to beat both Buttercup and Blossom. As she claimed the shower for herself, she stood inside the bathtub and drew the pastel colored curtains shut, first sticking her tongue out at both of them as she teased, " _Ha_! Now go!"

Buttercup and Blossom stepped out into the hallway.

"Screw it," Buttercup muttered, "I don't need a shower anyways." The teen disappeared into her bedroom down the hall with a flash of green light. Within ten seconds, she was back in the hallway with another bright flash of green, dressed in jeans and one of her many oversized hooded jackets. "Later," she announced as she descended down the staircase.

Blossom slowly floated down the hallway towards the stairs, but paused as she reached the doorway to Buttercup's room. Through the open doorway she could see where the birdcage now sat on top of her sibling's dresser. The green and yellow birds were cuddled up with one another, and appeared to be sound asleep. As much as Blossom did not approve of her sisters' sneaky way of bringing the birds home, she still couldn't help but find the tiny little pair to be incredibly cute.

As Blossom stood at the doorway and admired the parakeets, Professor Utonium joined her by her side. "I have to admit," he began, "I never imagined Buttercup would want birds of all things as a pet," he chuckled, "They sure are cute though, aren't they?"

Blossom nodded as she smiled a little, "Yeah, they are."

"Did she pick names for them yet?"

Blossom nodded again and gave a short laugh. "Yeah. Snot and Pus."

Professor Utonium raised an eyebrow at Blossom, and then chuckled. "Of course."

* * *

Buttercup raised her hoodie before she entered the electronic store. She kept her head down, and her hands in her pockets as she walked quickly, but casually through the store and towards the audio gear section. The teenager found it easier to shoplift during the morning time. There were usually less employees, and less customers. However, it was summer and there were a few more people there that morning than she anticipated. One customer shopped in the same aisle where she would need to make her swipe. She couldn't do it with them there, and so she casually continued past the aisle and towards the video games at the back of the store.

Buttercup pretended to browse the games on display, while she watched patiently for an opening to make her move. As she waited, her eyes fell on the entrance in the distance as she heard a noisy group of teenagers enter the store. Normally, Buttercup would be thankful for a rowdy distraction, but among the group of boys was the one face she wished to avoid at all cost- Mitch Mitchelson.

As the group of teens seemed to head straight for the video games, Buttercup kept her head down as she quickly moved to avoid them. She hid next in the small music section of the store, where she could keep an eye on Mitch and his cronies from afar. The skinny teenager stood behind a tall display rack of CDs, where her green eyes peaked between the grated rack.

Mitch had always been a notorious bully at school. When they were much younger, he and Buttercup were close friends. Often, she would take her turn at bullying their grade school classmates right alongside him. But towards the end of elementary school their friendship soured, and as Buttercup became more and more of an outsider in the eyes of her peers, she just became an easy target for Mitch's mean-spirited ridicule and pranks.

"Hey look!" Mitch pointed towards the rows of flat screen television sets that lined the back wall of the store, "The Boy-Girl freak is on TV!" he nudged his buddies as he continued to point and cackle loudly.

Buttercup's eyes fell on the collection of TV monitors which had all been tuned to a news station broadcast. Sure enough, her face was plastered across every screen. She used her super hearing to listen closely to what the TV station reported.

"Last night at the Townsville Beach Pier there was an apparent new sighting of the ever elusive Buttercup of the Powerpuff Girls. Take a look at this amateur footage taken at the scene of last night's events-"

As the broadcaster continued to speak, a short video clip of Buttercup hovering angrily in the air as a crowd of citizens booed her from below began to play. The footage was less than twelve seconds in length, but it looped over and over as the story continued.

"A malfunction on the beach side roller coaster led to twenty-six riders falling from the attraction. In the end, nobody was injured, but the rescue efforts carried out by the Powerpuff Girls did not go without incident. One rescued rider claims that Powerpuff Girl Buttercup dropped him intentionally, and if it hadn't been for the quick actions of Powerpuff Girl Blossom, the rider claims that, well, he would be dead."

"The footage you are watching was recorded immediately after this alleged incident. If you listen to the sounds of the crowd that was there that night, clearly, they had just witnessed something very upsetting."

The looping footage finally stopped, but was replaced with an enlarged still frame, focused on Buttercup's scarred face. Because the footage was taken at a distance and at night, the enhanced picture was still a bit grainy, but there was no denying the dark 'V' shape mark that branded the super powered teenager's face.

"This is absolutely the closest look we've had of Buttercup's strange facial markings since we saw them for the first time at the Townsville Discovery Dome premiere event nearly three years ago. Since then, Powerpuff Buttercup has been absent at all Powerpuff related events, and sightings of the green Powerpuff Girl are rare. The few encounters with Powerpuff Buttercup we have on record share similar accounts of the super hero behaving violently. Many fans fear that this dark mark curse has corrupted the superhero somehow. But there are still fans who hold onto hope that the one they used to endearingly call 'the toughest fighter,' will still make a recovery. However, looking at last night's footage here, it seems that the superhero's strange affliction may have only gotten worse..."

Buttercup's concentration on the news story broke as Mitch's continued cackling only grew louder.

"That blurry photo's nothin' compared to the real thing!" he hollered. "Remember when I surprised that freak with my super soaker at school? _Man_ , once all that makeup washed off, that shit looked like a disaster!"

Buttercup gritted her teeth as she forced herself to ignore the obnoxious boy's commentary. She listened once more to the live news broadcast.

"Seeing this is just a reminder of the mystery that surrounds the young girl's sudden drastic change in appearance. The official statement from the superhero team has been that it is simply scarring from an apparent 'training day mishap.' Of course, there are certainly those who believe otherwise..."

" _Hey_ ," came a sudden voice from Buttercup's right side. She had been so distracted by the unfolding news story that she hadn't noticed the stranger who had been staring at her for the past minute. It wasn't common for her to be noticed by strangers unlike her sisters who were so easily recognized. Most of the time, with just her hoodie up, nobody would ever draw a connection between herself and her superhero identity. However with her scarred face now displayed brightly throughout the store, there was no denying that it was her.

The young man's eyes grew wide as Buttercup turned her head to face him. He pointed at her and then at the television monitors, "Y-you're _her_! You're Buttercup!" he began to shout. "Holy shit! Buttercup's right here, everybody! Look!"

Buttercup cringed as soon as the man began to shout, and before anybody else could spot her next, she disappeared quickly out of the store with a flash of green light.

* * *

Blossom had just managed to forget her worries about the incident the night prior, when the breaking news story reminded her once more. The Professor and her had been watching the morning news on the living room television set when Blossom left to retrieve another bundle of deliveries at the front door. When she returned with the fresh pile of gifts, she quickly froze at the sight of Buttercup's scarred face caught on camera.

"...Seeing this is just a reminder of the mystery that surrounds the young girl's sudden drastic change in appearance. The official statement from the superhero team has been that it is simply scarring from an apparent 'training day mishap.' Of course, there are certainly those who believe otherwise."

Blossom gulped nervously as she gently sat down the pile of packages onto the ground by her feet. Her pink eyes were wide as they closely watched the TV screen.

"Joining us now is Dr. Wilhelm Richards, former chief medical director of Townsville Medical Center. He was one of the attending physicians the night of Buttercup's alleged training accident. Doctor, you were there that night when Buttercup was admitted to your Intensive Care ward. Could you tell us again what happened, and why is it that you believe that there is something more to the superhero's disfigurement?"

Just as the broadcast cut to the doctor, the TV screen went black. Blossom turned and looked to the Professor and saw that he held the television's remote control in his hand. He sighed heavily as he sat the controller down on the coffee table at the center of the room. "No need to listen to that crackpot's nonsense," he shook his head as he looked at Blossom. "It amazes me to this day how many people out there actually take him seriously."

Blossom frowned, "Yeah..."

Professor Utonium sensed an uneasiness in Blossom. Whenever this sort of tabloid attention surrounded the Utoniums, it was never easy on their family, but Blossom often struggled the most with it. He walked over to his tall, redheaded daughter and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Remember, Sweetie," he began with a reassuring smile, "It's just a bunch of nobodies looking for their cheap fifteen minutes of fame. Their time will be up soon."

Blossom nodded slowly, "I know, Professor."

"I mean it, Dear. Don't let them get to you. Tomorrow is your birthday, after all." He smiled again. "Which reminds me, I still need to order a cake for you girls." He reached into his lab coat pocket and retrieved his car keys. "I'll stop at the bakery now. What kind of cake should I order?"

Blossom smiled weakly and shrugged, "Strawberry would be nice."

"Strawberry it is then," he gave Blossom a small pat on her shoulder as he walked past her. "I'll be back soon."

Blossom slowly floated upstairs to her bedroom. She began to pack her book bag with everything she needed for her tutoring session with her classmate Elmer. As somebody who scored a perfect score on her SAT exam, Blossom had many requests for tutoring from her fellow high school students. She spent many hours at the library helping her peers with their studies. She didn't mind though. She enjoyed getting to know the other students, and it was an easy way to make a little extra money on the side, too.

Blossom slung her book bag over her shoulder, and heard the sound of a car pulling up outside their home. She hovered to the circular window at the center of her bedroom, and peaked through the curtains. "Oh no..." she muttered as her eyes fell on the local news station van that now sat alongside their front curb. Her pink eyes fell further down the road and saw several more television station's vehicles approaching in the distance.

Blossom stepped away from the window and called out for her sister in the next room, " _Bubbles_!"

The blue Powerpuff arrived shortly after and stood in her doorway with a pair of parakeets perched on top of her head. "Yeah?" she asked as she floated inside Blossom's room and joined her by the window.

"Look," Blossom frowned.

Bubbles hovered closer to the window and pulled back the pink colored shades to take a look. "Oh no," she said also, "Not again."

Blossom sighed heavily as she retrieved her cell phone from her jeans pocket. She lowered herself onto her bed, as she held the phone to her ear and waited for an answer as the line rang.

"H-hello?"

"Hey, Elmer. It's Blossom."

"Oh, hi, Blossom."

"Listen, I'm really sorry, Elmer," Blossom began as she rose from her bed. "But something's come up."

Blossom could hear the doorbell ringing repeatedly downstairs, and she zipped over to the front door with a bright pink flash. "Can we reschedule for tomorrow instead?" Blossom asked Elmer as she securely locked the front door, ignoring whoever was on the other side. She then zipped to the living room. There, she began to draw the curtains closed to all the home's windows.

"But isn't your birthday tomorrow?" Elmer questioned on the other end.

"Yeah, it's fine," Blossom answered with a shrug. "My sisters and I usually just do a simple birthday brunch and cake. We're usually all done celebrating by noon, really. What if we met up at the library about two or two thirty?"

"I thought you guys were having a party though," the boy sounded confused.

"Party?" Blossom repeated, even more confused.

"Oh..." Elmer began to stammer nervously on the other end, "I-I'm sorry, Blossom. I-I think Robin m-might have meant it to be a s-surprise. S-sorry!"

Blossom's pink eyes widened. "Oh," she said, taken aback by the news, "That's OK, Elmer," she reassured her nervous friend next, "I guess then... we can talk about rescheduling tomorrow... at the party?"

"Y-yeah, I guess we can."

"OK," Blossom began to hover down the hall and towards their kitchen. "See you tomorrow."

"Bye, Blossom."

Blossom stopped in the hallway as she ended the call. She immediately went to her phone's messages, and quickly texted Robin: "I know you're at karate right now, but can you please call me ASAP?"

As the teenager hit send she groaned loudly. She then shut her eyes and breathed deeply, attempting to calm her rising nerves. She was already frustrated enough as it was with the gathering paparazzi just outside their door, but then learning about Robin's secret surprise party made her feel even worse.

Blossom entered their home's kitchen and floated to the first window that sat above their kitchen sink. She reached for the shades to shut them, but paused for a moment as her eyes fell on Robin's home next door. She sighed deeply, "Oh, Robin, what were you _thinking_?" she muttered to herself quietly as she drew closed the shades.

The pink Powerpuff floated to a seat at their dining room table. She plopped down and let her forehead rest against the tabletop's cool, glass surface. Once again she closed her eyes and took another deep breath as she tried to calm her racing thoughts and ignore the incessant ringing of their home's doorbell by the media crew outside.

She knew Robin meant well, but a surprise party? _Really_? Blossom supposed that the opportunity to celebrate with friends for once was a nice idea. If it was just her birthday, she would love a surprise like that. However, it wasn't as if it was just her birthday tomorrow. It was Bubbles and Buttercup's, too. Blossom imagined Bubbles would also be pretty thrilled to have a surprise party thrown in her honor. But Buttercup? Buttercup hated parties, and she hated most of the other kids at school, too. Her antisocial behavior was the reason why they discontinued their annual birthday carnival they used to have. Now, their birthday had become just a simple, quiet celebration at home with the Professor. It was all they needed she supposed.

This year, they were going to be sixteen, and it was a milestone birthday for them. Of course, as the triplets' shared friend, Robin would want to make it special for all of them. Her caring thoughtfulness was one of the qualities that Blossom admired most about Robin. Still, the dread that Blossom felt as she imagined how Buttercup might react to an unwelcome surprise party left her feeling sick. No matter how many ways Blossom tried to imagine it differently, she knew in her gut that if there was going to be a surprise party for them tomorrow, it was bound to be a disaster.

* * *

The small, fourteen inch TV set was old and its picture was slightly distorted as a commercial for a children's cereal brand finished its jingle. The news program Ace and Tyler had been watching began again as the broadcaster reintroduced his guest for the morning segment. "Thank you for joining us. Once again, with us today is Dr. Wilhelm Richards. Doctor, please continue with your account. Just before our break you were saying that Professor Utonium arrived..."

"Yes, thank you." The older man on the screen adjusted his eye glasses, as he began, "The Professor arrived at the ICU, and well, I was the first to speak up and break the news to him that we had just called it. At that point, we had done everything we could to try and revive the girl, but everything had failed. By then, it had been seven minutes since the young girl's heart stopped. The Professor, however, pushed past myself and the other physicians, and remained unconvinced. I watched him pull out a syringe from his lab coat and he injected a black substance into Buttercup's IV drip. He then immediately began working on her himself.

"We all stood aside and watched as he beat upon the girl's chest repeatedly, clearly determined to revive her. Truly, our hearts went out to the man. It was his daughter, after all. At the time, my own daughter was thirteen, too, and I couldn't imagine seeing her in the same state Buttercup was in that night. It was... a tragedy. But the rest of the team knew we had all taken turns giving it a go, and there was just no bringing her back. The other physicians began to leave the room, along with our nursing staff, but I remained behind and continued to oversee the Professor's efforts.

"As the Professor continued to beat against her chest, I began to notice that the severe burns the girl had sustained began to- how do I describe this? Well, they began to _fill_ and sort of _bubble_ with a sudden, thick black substance. It looked like tar almost, or oil, and it seemed to just manifest from within her suddenly. Her fingers, her hands, her forearms, and the right side of her face- everywhere where she had sustained an injury- it was like her body was trying to repair itself with whatever the dark material was."

"Sounds terrifying," the anchorman commented.

"It was," the doctor paused before continuing. "The black ooze overtook all her burns, and then it hardened as it appeared to fuse with her flesh. That was when her eyes shot open. I tell you, I must have jumped about ten feet into the air at that moment. The young girl immediately snapped upwards and gasped loudly. She was shaking terribly and she seemed to choke as she continued frantically gasping for air and coughing- choking. Professor Utonium began to beat on her back a little, as if trying to help her spit something up. The girl then vomited- quite violently- what seemed like _gallons_ of this thick, oozing black liquid; it poured everywhere. That was when some of the staff began to return to the room. The girl then began to cry and scream- not really words, but babbling nonsense. She was absolutely hysterical as the Professor held onto her still, and tried his best to calm her. He pleaded with my staff for a sedative for her. Myself? I was still frozen in shock, but our team responded quickly with our heaviest of tranquilizers. Once the sedation was given, she finally began to settle."

"That's a chilling scene you just described there, Doctor."

"Yes, to be honest, much of it still haunts me to this day. You know, the one image I cannot forget was the wild fear that was in that child's eyes when she awoke. Her blood-curdling screams and the terror on her face- the panic. It was if she had just returned from Hell itself."

" _Woah_ ," Ace and Tyler breathed in unison as their eyes remained glued to the tiny TV screen across the room.

As the program excused itself for yet another commercial break, Ace picked up the remote from the coffee table and shut off the TV. "Man, I can't watch anymore of this." He tossed the remote back onto the table and leaned back in his seat once more.

Tyler leaned back, too, "Makes you wonder though, right? You think it's true?"

Ace glanced at Tyler and shook his head a little, "Man, you're high."

The small surface of the wooden coffee table before them was already crammed full with dozens of mason jars, all filled with freshly trimmed cannabis. Ace and Tyler passed a joint between them as they continued their steady work with their tiny pruning shears in hand. They were preparing their latest harvest for curing, and had been up since early morning trimming away. The two sat side by side on an old, tattered green sofa that sat at the center of the garage. Surrounding them was a forest of growing marijuana plants, which took up the majority of the garage's space. There were dangling bits of drying plants which hung like curtains above them, secured by pieces of white string which fell from the garage's low ceiling.

Tyler added another trimmed piece of bud to the mason jar he kept balanced between his knees, and groaned a little, "Ugh. I needa take a break soon, Man. My hand is starting to cramp up bad."

Ace shook his head and smirked, "Better toughen up, Ty. We still got a lot of work ahead of us." He paused in his trimming for a moment and reached for the slow burning joint that sat on a glass ashtray on the coffee table. He took a hit, before passing it to his friend, "Take a break then," he said as he exhaled. "Just do me a favor and pack up everything we got finished so far first."

Tyler took the joint from Ace and rose to his feet. He balanced the marijuana cigarette between his lips as he began to collect the mason jars that filled the table.

Ace's cell phone began to buzz in his pocket, and he answered it. "Hello?"

"Hey, it's me," Buttercup's voice came through on the other end. "You think I can drop by and pick up my babysitting pay?"

"Babysittin' pay?" Ace repeated with a laugh, "I'm pretty sure you were playin' at the show and not doin' much babysittin' yesterday."

"Aw, come on, I was still watchin' her from the stage!"

"Yeah, yeah," Ace chuckled. "Sure, Kid. Come on by."

Just as soon as Ace ended the call, he could hear their home's doorbell ring, and the sound of Betty greeting Buttercup at the door. The kid was fast.

"Yo, Fea!" Tyler shouted as Buttercup entered the room. He offered her a high-five as she joined him and Ace, "So what the fuck happened last night, Man?"

Buttercup shook her head as she laughed off the situation with a shrug, "Same old story: Scared another chump with my hideous face."

"It's all over the news, Dude! We were just watching it!"

"I know," Buttercup shrugged again as she leaned up against the armrest of the sofa. "That shit broke while I was trying to swipe a pair of headphones at the store. Everyone there started recognizing me all of a sudden," the teenager sulked a little, "I didn't even get the headphones. I just had to leave."

"What you swipin' headphones for, Kid?" Ace raised an eyebrow. "Didn't you just get caught by your old man last month for swipin'?"

Buttercup shrugged, "He could never prove it. I told him I lost the receipt."

"Yeah, but you got grounded all the same 'cause he knew better, am I right?"

Buttercup looked at Ace and frowned, "What are you trying to say?"

"Kid, I'm just saying, when the man is on to ya," he stood from where he sat on the sofa and glanced down at the teenager, "Ya gotta play it cool for a little while."

Buttercup watched Ace walk across the garage to a workstation that sat against the wall.

Ace began to weigh out a finished batch of gorilla glue number four. As he carefully placed the sticky green cannabis flower on the round silver scale, he continued to talk to Buttercup from across the room. "Besides, Kid, you really shouldn't be swipin' to begin with, 'specially not for unnecessary shit like headphones."

Tyler laughed as he plopped down on the sofa beside Buttercup, "Man, don't listen to Ace," he said with a devious smirk, "He's just an old man now and thinks he's somehow above us common thieves as if he wasn't one himself. Nothin' wrong with the occasional five-finger discount. Hell, you saved all those people the other day. What's the matter with treatin' yourself just a little for it?"

"Shut up, Ty," Ace gave him a swift smack on the back of the head as he passed by him. "Your last five-finger discount ended up costing your girlfriend two hundred bucks in bail for your ass." Ace stood before Buttercup and looked at her, "Kid, don't listen to this fool, a'ight? Not unless you wanna wind up in jail someday." He held out a small jar of weed, "Here ya go. An eighth for babysittin' and an extra eighth just for your birthday."

Buttercup took the jar from Ace and smiled, "Thanks, Dude. I appreciate it." She tucked the small jar of flower into her jacket.

Ace looked to his left as he heard the door to the garage creak open. As soon as the eight-year-old stepped inside the garage, Ace spoke up, "You know the rules, Kid," he began to lecture Sophia. "Ya gotta be this tall to come into the grow room," Ace held his hand some four feet off the ground and the tiny girl stood by the door with a sad pout on her face.

"But I have my birthday gift for Buttercup and I gotta give it to her!" Sophia protested.

"A'ight," Ace surrendered to the pouty face, "Make it quick then."

Sophia hurried across the room and stood before Buttercup with a sheet of white construction paper in hand. "Happy Birthday, Buttercup! I drew you this!"

Buttercup took the sheet of paper from Sophia and looked at it. The color pencil drawing appeared to be an illustration of Buttercup on stage playing the bass, and wearing the alien mask the child had leant her. "Thanks, Runt." She looked at the kid and smirked. "Sorry, I forgot your mask at home. I'll be sure to bring it by with me next time I visit."

"Nah, that's OK," Sophia said with a grin, "I don't use it anymore, so you can keep it. That way if you ever wanna play again, you have it!"

Buttercup laughed a little, "OK, thanks, Runt." She felt her phone buzz and checked it. She saw a new text from her sister Bubbles. "Shit," she muttered as she read the message. "I better get going. Bubbles just told me there's media starting to swarm the house looking for my stupid face."

"Woah, for real?" Tyler turned to Buttercup, "Lucky us we get to see it all the time!"

Buttercup smirked as she stood to leave.

"Yo, by the way, Fea," Tyler stopped her for a moment, "I was just wonderin'... is it true that you were dead for seven minutes, Man?"

"Nah," Buttercup shrugged casually, "It was twelve."

" _Really_?" Tyler's eyes widened.

" _No_ , not really!" Buttercup rolled her eyes, "Even if that bullshit was true, you think if I were fucking dead I would know how long I was fucking dead for?"

"Hey, _hey_ , _language_ , Dude," Ace stood behind Sophia with his hands clasped over her ears. "I had two parent-teacher conferences last year for Sophia dropping the f-bomb in school, ya know."

"Sorry," Buttercup smiled weakly.

Ace laughed a little as he shook his head. "See ya around, Kid."

"See ya," Buttercup gave a small wave as she left the garage and floated into the hallway of the tiny condo. She reached the front door when she heard Tyler call after her again.

"Yo, Fea, one more thing!"

Buttercup sighed a little as she turned to face him. "Man, no more conspiracy crap. I gotta get home and deal with it, and that sucks enough, alright?"

"Nah, it's not about that," Tyler spoke in a low whisper as he reached into his back pocket and retrieved a small, glossy business card. "Ace didn't want you to have this, but..." he handed the card over to Buttercup.

The tomboy took the card in her hands and studied it. There was clear scotch tape wrapped around the card and looked as if it had been pieced back together. The card was dark purple with gold lettering. It held no name, and just a single phone number.  
"What's this?" Buttercup questioned.

"It's from that little redhead from yesterday. She gave it to Ace and asked him to get it to you, but he shredded it right away. Somethin' about her being crazy, but I thought you might want it anyway, so I saved it for ya."

"Princess?" Buttercup raised an eyebrow as she stared at the card in her hands.

"Yeah, Dude. I was watching how you two were talkin' and I think she was checking you out, Man."

Buttercup gave a short laugh, "Yeah, right."

"No, Dude, I'm serious. And so what if she's crazy? Crazy can be fun sometimes," he smirked. "You should hit her up."

Buttercup laughed again as she tucked the card in her jeans pocket. "Sure, Ty." She turned to leave once more, "See ya."

* * *

The blue and pink Powerpuffs had turned their living room sofa around so that it no longer faced the television, but now the window which faced their home's front lawn. Of course, they still had the curtains drawn to prevent any people or cameras from peaking inside, but as they sat on the sofa together, the super-powered teens used their x-ray vision to spy on the events outside. There were half a dozen different news stations that had gathered. Their camera crews lined the sidewalk and all had their cameras fixed on their home. Several reporters stood on the front lawn, and used the Utonium house as their backdrop for the latest Powerpuff news story.

"I can't believe this is happening the day before our birthday," Bubbles sighed heavily.

Blossom frowned, "Me either." Her pink eyes glimmered a little as she deactivated her x-ray vision. She leaned back against the headrest of the sofa and closed her eyes for a moment as she took a slow, deep breath.

Bubbles shut off her x-ray vision next and turned her attention to Blossom. "You OK?"

"Yeah," Blossom sighed again, with her eyes still shut, "I'm just _fine_."

Bubbles frowned, but said nothing. She returned her attention to the window and her baby blue eyes shone as she used her x-ray vision once more. "Hey, channel nine just got here," she reported to her sister.

Blossom groaned a little, " _Great_. Seven news crews- a new record." She sat up once more as she checked her cell phone for any missed texts or calls from Robin, but there was nothing. She tossed her phone to the side and let her head fall backward once more. She closed her eyes, breathing in through her nose and out through her mouth.

Bubbles slouched forward on the sofa with her elbows propped on her knees, and her face rested on her cupped hands, as she continued to keep an eye on things outside. The reporters were harmless for the most part. They had stopped trying to get the girls to answer the door at least. One would think that they would have learned by then that the Utoniums refused to answer any more questions relating to the matter of Buttercup's accident and her scars. Yet there they all were. It had only been about twenty minutes since the latest footage of Buttercup first aired, but every news station rushed to the home, hoping to get a better look once more.

The first time the sensationalized obsession with Buttercup began was shortly after the Discovery Dome premiere. It was a shock to the Utonium's that first time. They knew people would have questions pertaining to her scars, but they imagined after addressing it the first time that people would accept things and move on. However, that was not the case. Even after Professor Utonium addressed the media's questions, it only led to more questions. Conflicting accounts with the Professor and some of the medical staff at the hospital began to inspire conspiracies. Tabloids began to publish doctored photos of Buttercup- suggesting things like she was the undead, a demon, or some sort of Frankenstein creation. These were the more extreme stories, and not every media outlet would report on the unsupported claims. However, the one commonality they all shared was the desire to see more of Buttercup. Eventually, the attention faded over time, but it always returned whenever the super-powered tomboy managed to get caught in the spotlight again.

"You did text Buttercup to not use the front door when she comes home, right?" Blossom asked Bubbles.

"Yeah. I told her."

Just then, Blossom and Bubbles heard a thump at the other end of the living room. They looked to their home's fireplace and saw that a cloud of dark soot poured out from the opening, and they heard coughing from inside.

"There's creeps all over the lawn," Buttercup announced as she climbed out of the fireplace. As the soot-covered teen stepped onto the white carpet of the living room, she left behind charcoal colored footprints.

Blossom stood from the sofa, and turned to face her, placing her hands on her hips, "The _chimney_ , Buttercup? _Really_?"

"Well Bubbles said not to use the front door," Buttercup began as she dusted herself off, "And the Professor installed that stupid unbreakable crystal glass on my bedroom window, so how else should I've gotten in?"

"How about the back door?" Blossom rolled her eyes.

Buttercup shrugged, "Whatever. I'll be in the shower."

"OK, but when you're finished, you come back down here and clean up the mess you've made," Blossom gestured to the dark tracks Buttercup had left behind.

Buttercup rolled her eyes, "Sure thing, _Mom_."

Blossom's pink eyes narrowed on her sibling and she opened her mouth to say something, but was interrupted by Bubbles.

" _Hey_!" she shouted with her blue eyes still shining brightly with her x-ray powers, "Ms. Bellum's here!"

Buttercup and Blossom turned back towards the window, and used their own x-ray vision then. Sure enough, they could see the redheaded politician stepping out from her black sedan she had parked in their driveway. As she stepped out, the news teams turned their attention to her immediately. They crowded around the woman as she leaned into her car for a moment to retrieve something.

"Mayor Bellum, are you here to address yesterday's incident?"

"Mayor Bellum, what do you think about Buttercup's failed rescue attempt?"

"Miss Mayor, will there be any consequences for Buttercup?"

"Do you think Buttercup should step down from the Powerpuff Girls' team?"

"Mayor-"

"I am just here to pay a visit," Bellum spoke as she turned to face the cameras and reporters who had surrounded her. She balanced three small gift boxes in her left arm- one blue, one pink, and one green. "And to wish our heroes a happy sixteenth birthday," she continued to speak as she casually walked past the crowd who parted for her.

As she continued towards the Utonium home, the media crews followed after her. The reporters on scene fought against one another to keep their microphones near Bellum as she addressed them.

"What is your opinion on yesterday's debacle?" a reporter asked of Bellum next.

The mayor halted for a moment and turned to face the cameras once more. "Debacle?" she repeated. "Why, as I understand it, there would have been twenty-six tragedies if it hadn't been for Buttercup and Blossom..."

As the mayor continued to address the press, the girls saw several police cars approaching from down the road.

"The police are here!" Bubbles gasped.

"We can see," Buttercup and Blossom responded in unison. They watched as several police officers began to approach the camera persons and reporters.

"...Thanks to their heroic efforts, everyone on board the roller coaster made it home to their families that night," Mayor Bellum continued. "I was very relieved to hear that the two of them had been there to, once again, save the day. On behalf of the city of Townsville, I thank them." She raised her chin as she smiled graciously, "Now, if you would excuse me."

As the mayor turned away from the cameras, she motioned towards the chief of police who had just arrived. She gave the man a simple nod, and he stepped forward, holding his hands outwards as he began to wave away the teams of reporters. His team of policemen fell in line behind him and began to help guide the media back to their news vans as well.

"OK, listen up, everybody! This is officially a no press-zone!" he announced to the crowd as they were escorted away. "By order of the mayor, all camera crews must stay at least four hundred yards away from this house! So let's move along now, people!"

Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup sighed in relief together as they watched the news station crews begin to pack up and leave. Their home's doorbell rang out, and Blossom zipped over quickly and answered it.

Blossom opened the door eagerly and grinned big at Mayor Bellum. "Mayor, what a surprise!" she stepped aside as Bellum stepped into their home. Blossom shut the door behind her, and continued to smile, "Thank you for getting rid of everyone out there."

"Hello, Blossom," Mayor Bellum smiled kindly at the young girl, "You didn't think I would just stand by and let them ruin your sweet sixteen, did you?" She took the small pink box from the pile of gifts she held and handed it to Blossom.

Blossom took the box in her hands. "Thank you," she repeated again with a sincere smile. " _Really_ , Mayor. Thank you so much. For... everything."

Mayor Bellum gave her a soft pat on her shoulder and smiled. "You're very welcome, Blossom."

Blossom led the mayor into their home's living room where Bubbles and Buttercup waited.

"Hello, Bubbles," the mayor greeted them each as she entered the room, "Hello, Butter...cup?" she stopped as her eyes fell on the still soot-covered teenager.

"She snuck past the cameras outside by flying through our chimney," Bubbles explained plainly.

Bellum gave the tomboy a small smile and stepped towards her, offering the green colored gift box to her. "Happy Birthday, Dear."

Buttercup took the box and gave the mayor a weak smile. "Thanks."

Bubbles squealed with joy as Mayor Bellum handed her the remaining blue box. "Thank you, Miss Bellum!" She bounced excitedly as she took the gift from her. "Can I open it now?"

"Go ahead, Dear," Ms. Bellum answered with a chuckle.

The blue Powerpuff swiftly removed the white ribbon from the box and opened it. She gasped as her blue eyes lit up, "Earrings! Oh my gosh! They're beautiful! Thank you, Miss Bellum!"

Blossom unwrapped her gift next and also found a pair of earrings inside. She held the delicate, heart-shaped pink sapphires in her hand and admired them. "They are beautiful." She looked to the mayor and blushed slightly. She felt undeserving of such a elegant and pricey gift. "Thank you, Mayor."

Buttercup looked at the small green box she held and sighed a little to herself. Earrings were definitely not her style.

"Buttercup, what on earth happened to you?" the Professor immediately asked as he entered their home.

"She came in through the chimney," Blossom explained directly.

The Professor blinked at Blossom for a moment before returning his attention to Buttercup, still looking confused. " _Why_?"

"She had to, Professor!" Bubbles stood beside Buttercup, "There were like fifty people outside from all the news stations! She was just trying to avoid them!"

The Professor frowned before he looked to Mayor Bellum. She gave him a reassuring smile, "I've taken care of everything, Professor. I can assure you there will be no more media circuses in your neighborhood. They are not permitted within four hundred yards of this address, and I will have an officer stationed nearby for the next week to see that that is enforced. At least until this latest frenzy dies down."

"Thank you, Mayor," said Professor Utonium.

Mayor Bellum smiled at the Utonium family. "I sincerely hope that you all have a wonderful sixteenth birthday tomorrow." She looked again at the Professor, "Professor, may I have a word with you, Buttercup and Blossom for a moment?"

"Is this about yesterday?" Blossom bit her lip nervously.

"It is," Bellum answered simply.

"Of course," Professor Utonium answered. "Let's go to the dining room."

Blossom and Buttercup exchanged glances before they followed the Professor and Mayor Bellum into the dining room. They each took a seat at the dining table. The Professor, Blossom and Buttercup sat on one side, and Mayor Bellum took a chair across from them. Even though Bubbles had not been invited to the conversation, the blue Powerpuff waited just outside in the hallway and listened closely.

"I'm sorry that this mess has such unfortunate timing for you girls." The mayor looked from Blossom to Buttercup. "However, I must ask you- What happened?"

"Well," Blossom began, "We were at the pier, and then the roller coaster stopped, and people started to fall-"

"I meant specifically with the man who fell last," the mayor interrupted. She looked at Buttercup who squirmed a little in her chair. "The one who claims that you purposefully dropped him."

Buttercup glanced at Blossom who stared back at her nervously. She looked back at the mayor and frowned, "Well, he was shouting for help, and so I went to help him," she bounced her knee anxiously as she spoke. "When I got there, he was kicking and acting all crazy and stuff. I picked him up, and he just kept on kicking and yelling and-" she stopped as her eyes fell on Blossom again.

Mayor Bellum leaned forward, towards Buttercup across the table, "And that's when he slipped from your grasp?"

Buttercup looked at Bellum, then at Blossom, then at the Professor, and finally back at Bellum once more. "Yeah," she nodded slowly. "That's when he slipped."

Bellum leaned back in her seat once more and nodded. "Thank you, Buttercup. That's all I needed to hear." She stood from her seat and the Utonium family followed her back out into the hallway. The mayor turned towards the Professor, "The man who fell has an attorney and, of course, is trying to milk the situation," she sighed. "Not to worry though. The city will handle everything."

"Thank you, Mayor," Professor Utonium said as he shook the woman's hand.

Mayor Bellum turned to both Buttercup and Blossom and smiled at them once more. "Thank you, Girls, for saving the day."

Blossom smiled as she blushed a little, "You're welcome, Mayor."

Buttercup shoved her hands in her pockets and shrugged, "No problem."

* * *

Blossom stood on their home's front porch and watched as the mayor drove away. She reached into her pant's pocket and retrieved her cell phone. There were still no new messages or missed calls from Robin. Just as she was about to send another text message, she looked and saw a blue minivan coming down the road. It was Robin's mother's car. Blossom quickly returned her phone to her pocket and began to walk towards the Snyder residence.

"Hello, Mrs. Snyder," Blossom greeted politely as she approached her and Robin as soon as they parked on the driveway.

Mrs. Snyder stepped out of the vehicle and smiled big at Blossom, "Hello, Dear!" she waved as she continued into their home.

Robin stepped out of the van from the passenger side. The brunette was dressed still in her karate uniform as she smiled at Blossom. "Hey."

"Hey?" Blossom repeated. "Did you get my text earlier?"

Robin shook her head, "Sorry. I forgot my phone at home today." She looked at Blossom and frowned a little, sensing something was wrong. "What's up?"

Blossom bit her lip. She knew this wasn't going to be an easy conversation, but it was one that had to be had. She took a deep breath before she began, "I know about the surprise party."

"What?"

"The surprise party," Blossom repeated. "You're throwing us one tomorrow, aren't you?"

Robin blinked at Blossom for a moment. She then shook her head, "I don't know why you think that, Blossom, but-"

"OK," Blossom took another deep breath. "I get that you are really trying to do something special here. And I love that even now, you're trying to act as if you're not throwing a surprise party, but the fact is, well, I know that you are."

"Oh...kay..."

"And I really really wish that I could just play along and act like everything's fine, but I can't!" Blossom began to pace as she started to rant, "I just can't! I have to make sure that if you are throwing us a party- which I _know_ that you are- then there are certain things that need to happen! Like for instance, you can't just invite everyone at school! I hope that you didn't because you know that there are just certain people who pretend to be our friends, but really they just want to know the Powerpuff Girls, and right now with everything going on we just can't afford to have people that we can't really trust around us! So I just really hope that it's only close friends and people that we actually like!"

"Blossom," Robin sighed a little. "I _know_ , OK? I promise, it's only our friends. Our _real_ friends."

"What about people who will inevitably just invite themselves?"

"I promise you, it won't happen. It's invite only. I was very strict about it."

"And what about Buttercup?! What if she freaks out, or starts a scene, or-"

"She's not going."

"What?" Blossom finally stopped pacing, and turned to look at Robin.

"She's not going," Robin repeated. She looked at Blossom and saw that she stared back at her with confusion. "When I first started planning everything, I knew that parties just weren't really Buttercup's thing, and so I asked her about it," Robin began to explain. "At first my plan was to have her help me plan the party so that I could try and make sure it'd be something she might enjoy, too. But when I talked to her, she said she'd really just rather not have any sort of party at all."

Blossom watched her girlfriend sigh deeply as she leaned against the tall, wooden fencing that separated their homes. Her teal eyes glistened with sadness as they remained focused on her feet. Blossom felt her heart ache.

"Buttercup gets it you know," Robin kept her eyes on the ground as she continued. "She gets that it's yours and Bubbles' birthdays, too. She was totally cool with me just throwing a party for just you two instead. She even promised to help keep you and Bubbles away from my place until everything was ready."

Blossom blinked at Robin, "Really?"

Robin looked up at Blossom and nodded her head. "Really."

Blossom's face flushed a bright red. Right then she realized that she had forgotten just how incredible her girlfriend truly could be. Robin had managed to think of a solution to everything, and make what Blossom thought to be impossible actually possible. It would have been the perfect surprise party, and a better sweet sixteen than Blossom could've ever hoped for, and somehow she managed to ruin it. She bit her lip nervously as she stepped towards her girlfriend. "Robin..." she gulped, "I... I'm sorry."

Robin gave Blossom a weak smile. "I know you are." She stood up straight once more and stepped towards Blossom. "Look," she began quietly, "I have a lot that I need to get ready for tomorrow... Are you gonna be OK?"

Blossom nodded. She gulped again, "Are you OK?"

Robin nodded slowly. "Yeah."

Blossom hesitated. "Are... we OK?"

Robin smiled weakly again. "Yeah, Blossom. We are." She paused. "Don't tell Bubbles about the party, OK?"

"I won't!" Blossom answered back right away. "I swear I won't, and I," she stepped closer to Robin once more. "I'll be sure to pretend to be surprised tomorrow, too, OK?"

Robin laughed a little and shook her head. "OK, Blossom." She gave the tall redhead a playful nudge as she brushed past her, "I'll see you tomorrow, Birthday Girl."

Blossom stood silently on the driveway as she watched Robin disappear into her home. As the bright blue door to the house shut behind Robin, Blossom felt a sudden pain in her gut as her heart simultaneously ached once more. In that moment, she swore to herself that no matter what, she would find a way to make this up to Robin.

* * *

The Utonium home's living room was littered with scraps of wrapping paper, torn open boxes, and strings of ribbons and bows. The Powerpuff Girls' birthday had become a celebration much like Christmas morning. The Professor had prepared a delicious birthday brunch for his three girls. After they ate, they went into the family room to open all the gifts they had received from their fans. It took nearly two hours for them to unwrap everything, and they still had stacks of fan-mail to read.

Buttercup sat slouched on the sofa as she watched Bubbles and Blossom open the last of their gifts. She had run through her own pile of presents much quicker than they. Of course, just like their last two birthdays, her sisters had received much more than she. To Buttercup, it seemed like that year, she had gotten even less than previous years, too.

Buttercup cracked her knuckles as her eyes fell on the Professor who entered the room, carrying a pink strawberry cake which held three candles- one pink, one blue, and one green. He sat the cake down on the coffee table. "OK, Girls," he grinned big, "It's cake time!"

Blossom stood from where she had been sitting among her pile of presents and went over to where the cake sat. She rested on her knees, perfectly centered in front of the cake, before she turned to her left and reached for Buttercup who sat behind her still on the sofa. "Come on," she said as she yanked the tomboy by the arm and brought her down to the carpeted floor with her.

Buttercup rolled her eyes a little as she sat beside Blossom on the floor. Bubbles joined them next, but just as she was about to sit, she quickly rose back up to her feet as a thought came to her, "Oh! Hold on! Let me go get Robin first! Be right-"

"Wait," Buttercup interrupted. "She's not home."

"She's not?" Bubbles blinked.

"Yeah," Buttercup shrugged casually, "She said she was gonna go see her grandma or... something today. I dunno. She's not home though."

Bubbles frowned as she lowered herself back onto the floor beside Blossom. "Oh..." the blue Powerpuff said sadly. Robin usually always joined them for cake.

Blossom looked at Buttercup and smiled, remembering what Robin had told her the day before. She then turned to Bubbles, "We can celebrate with Robin later, Bubbles. She'll be back soon, I'm sure."

"OK," Professor Utonium said as he struck a match and began to light the candles on the pink frosted cake. "Everyone close your eyes, and think of your wishes. Blow on three..."

The triplets did as they were instructed and closed their eyes.

The Professor began, "One..."

_I wish that the coyotes never ever go hungry..._

"Two..."

_I wish that Robin and I will always be happy together..._

"Three..."

_I wish... that things were different._

The trio blew just as the Professor counted "three," and extinguished the birthday candles together.

Bubbles clapped her hands and smiled at her sisters, "Happy birthday, Girls."

Buttercup and Blossom each returned a smile to their pig-tailed sister, "Happy birthday."

While the Professor began to divide the cake into slices, Blossom looked to her left at Buttercup and saw that she was texting on her phone. She held the device low, underneath the coffee table, as if trying to disguise the fact that she had it. As the Professor sat a slice of strawberry cake in front of her, Buttercup looked up while simultaneously stashing her phone back into her hoodie's pouch pocket. "We should take a piece of cake to Robin," she announced out of nowhere.

Bubbles was just about to take her first bite of cake when she heard this. She blinked, confused. "What? You just said she was at her grandma's."

"Uh." Buttercup thought for a moment. "She's back." She then scowled a little, "Let's just take the damn cake, Bubbles. Jeez." She took the piece of cake in front of her and slid it across the table in Bubbles' direction.

Blossom couldn't help but laugh a little. "Yeah, let's go see if she's home now." She stood with her sisters and followed them to the front door.

Bubbles stepped out onto their front porch first, carrying the single slice of cake in her hands. As her sisters stepped outside next, Buttercup stopped at the doorway for a moment. She knelt down on one knee as she reached for her shoe, "You guys can go on ahead. I'll catch up," she said as she began to adjust her sneaker's shoelaces.

"OK," Bubbles thought nothing of it, and continued towards the Snyder residence.

Blossom stayed behind for a moment and smiled down on Buttercup.

Buttercup did not look at Blossom, but the tall girl's shadow fell over her and she knew that she was still there. "Go on," Buttercup repeated. As she pretended to fumble with her shoelaces, she was caught off guard by the sudden quick embrace Blossom gave her.

Blossom knelt down and hugged Buttercup. "Thanks, Sis."

Buttercup looked up at Blossom as she pulled away. "For what?"

Blossom shrugged. "For being my sister, I guess."

"Uh huh..." Buttercup raised an eyebrow, "Well, I don't exactly have a choice." Her green eyes fell on Bubbles in the distance who was just about to reach the Snyder's front door. She reached out towards Blossom and gave her a forceful shove off the first step of the porch. "Go already! Jeez!"

Blossom gave her sibling one last smile before she zipped over to Robin's house with a flash of pink, and joined Bubbles at the front door. Buttercup finished retying her shoelace and stood. She watched her sisters step inside the home. Her green eyes shone as she used her x-ray vision to see inside next door. As Blossom and Bubbles stepped inside, they were immediately ambushed by a barrage of colorful streamers and confetti thrown by all their friends from school. " _Surprise! Happy sweet sixteen_!"

"OH MY FREAKING GOSH I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!"

Buttercup didn't need to use super hearing in order to hear the blonde's high pitched squeals of joy. She shut off her x-ray vision and stepped back inside their own home, shutting the door behind her.

Buttercup went to her bedroom and lowered herself onto her bed. The skinny teen sighed deeply as she let her head fall against her pillow. While she lay on her bed and stared up at her ceiling, she heard a soft knock on her bedroom door. She turned her head and saw the Professor.

He held a single slice of strawberry cake in his hands as he stood at the doorway. "Hey, Sweetie. I brought you a slice of cake to enjoy." He smiled and stepped inside Buttercup's room. He walked over to her and sat the slice of cake on her nightstand with a fork. "Did you enjoy your birthday brunch?"

Buttercup stared up at the Professor. Even though he showed her a kind smile, it annoyed her. "Yeah," she forced herself to answer. "Thanks, Professor."

The Professor gave his tomboy daughter one last smile before he turned to leave. "I'll be in the lab if you need anything, Dear."

Buttercup watched him leave. Her eyes fell on the slice of strawberry cake he had left behind and suddenly she felt angry. She rose from her bed and took the cake from her nightstand. She forcefully tossed it in the trash bin by her door. " _Sixteen_ ," she thought, " _And after all these stupid birthdays, he can't remember one thing: I fucking hate strawberries_."

Buttercup plopped back down on her bed and closed her eyes to try and sleep for a bit. She lay there quiet for several minutes with her eyes shut, and a scowl on her face. Lorenzo and Maria- AKA Snot and Pus- sat within their birdcage on her dresser and chirped back and forth with one another. As the teenager tried to sleep, the sounds of their quiet chirps began to irritate her further. She grinded her teeth as she began to breathe deeply through her nostrils. After a few minutes of continuous bird chatter, she sat up and looked at the birds and shouted, "JESUS CHRIST DO YOU TWO EVER SHUT UP?"

The pair of parakeets quieted immediately and blinked back at her with their tiny, beaded black eyes. Buttercup glared at them for several minutes, as if challenging them to speak again, but the birds remained quiet, somehow knowing that they better.

She sat on her bed and continued to watch the birds as she cracked her knuckles. The birds had turned their attention to each other once more. They quietly sat perched together on a single branch within the wire cage. They nestled up close, and the green budgie lifted his wing so that his yellow companion could rest her head underneath. Buttercup watched the two take turns pruning each other's feathers for a while. Slowly, she began to feel the anger within her fade.

Buttercup's eyes fell on a pile of laundry on the floor just below her dresser. On top of the pile was her soot-covered clothes from the day before. She suddenly remembered the one birthday gift she could enjoy and rose from her bed. As she fished through her clothing for Ace's jar of weed, she came upon the purple colored business card Tyler had given her.

Buttercup stood with the card in her hands and turned it over and over. She thought about how Princess had been at the show the other day and what Tyler said about her. Buttercup definitely did not believe what he said to be true, but thought about how strange it was to have her former enemy ask for her like that. Of course, she had been wearing a Halloween mask that night, and Princess probably didn't know who she was speaking to. She remembered that Princess had mentioned something about a job that Ace didn't want, and began to think about what she could have meant by it. As she played with the business card in her hands, the phone number's metallic gold lettering glimmered under the light.

Without question, any job Princess had would pay well. She definitely had the money. And surely, any job Ace could do, Buttercup was pretty confident she could do, too.

Buttercup tapped the card against her scarred palm as she weighed her options for a moment. Whatever Princess asked of Ace, he had turned down. He also had tried to push her away from the girl that night. But like Tyler pointed out the other day, Ace had gone pretty soft over the years. He said that she wouldn't want to get caught up in what Princess had, and Tyler had said that he called her crazy after tearing up her card. The more Buttercup thought about this, the more curious she felt about it.

Buttercup slipped the card into her jeans' back pocket and knelt for the heap of laundry once more. She dug deeper in the pile for another set of clothes and retrieved the alien mask little Sophia had given her. She held the mask in her hands and smirked as an idea came to her then. With the Professor in his lab, and her sisters preoccupied by their birthday party, there was no better time than then to find out what Princess wanted. She quickly hid the mask within her baggy black hooded jacket and took off with a flash of green light.

* * *

The grounds of Morbucks Manor were very quiet as Buttercup stood outside the golden gates of the massive estate. The skinny teenager wore her alien mask as she rang the buzzer repeatedly. It had been a few minutes and she had yet to hear any sort of answer from the gate's speaker. She wondered if anybody was home as her green eyes peaked through the golden bars of the massive mansion's gates and scanned for signs of life. The property was huge, and the front door to the main house sat more than a hundred yards away. Buttercup took a step back away from the barrier and swiftly hopped over the seventy-five foot tall arched gateway with a single, effortless jump. The alien-masked teen landed gently on both feet on the other side of the gate, and casually walked towards the main home's entrance.

As she strolled with her hands shoved deep in her pockets, she looked around and listened still for signs of anyone. Everything seemed still though, and the intense quietness of the massive property made Buttercup feel as if she had wandered into another world completely. She reached the front door and tried knocking. While she waited, her green eyes shone through her mask as she used her x-ray vision to peer inside.

Everything looked so clean and pristine, just as she imagined it would. Despite the bountiful amounts of grand crystal chandeliers that hung throughout the mansion, Buttercup saw that it was very dim inside. She looked about and still could not see a single soul anywhere. Maybe Princess wasn't home.

Buttercup reached for the door's handle and turned it. It was locked, but the super-powered teen had no issue forcing it open anyway. She stepped inside, closing the door behind her as she called out, " _Hello_? _Anyone home_?" Her voice echoed throughout the corridors of the giant empty manor.

As she thought momentarily over whether or not it could be fun to rob Princess while she appeared to be away, Buttercup was surprised by the sudden sound of gunshots in the distance. The masked teenager instantly and instinctively followed the noise, taking off in a sprint down the west corridor. The gun shots definitely sounded as if they were being shot off somewhere within the mansion and sounded as if they were being fired in a quick, steady pattern.

She came through a set of double doors, and found the source of the gunfire. It was the young heiress's private shooting range. The masked teenager's black sneakers screeched loudly as she slid to a stop on the white marble floor of the room. Despite her loud entrance, Princess had not heard her. The redhead's ears were covered by the shooting earmuffs she wore snugly on her head, and she was extremely focused on her target practice.

Buttercup stood there and curiously watched the short girl aim a gold-plated pistol at the quick flying paper targets that whipped across the room; she shredded each target with a bullet just as fast as they came. _BANG-BANG-BANG_. The blue, pink and green colored pieces of paper zipped at high speeds along several different lines of wire, as if to replicate the Powerpuff Girls zipping across the sky. Her butler, Alfred, stood off to the side, and appeared to be operating some sort of pulley-system which sent the colored targets flying. He also wore ear protection and had yet to notice the masked stranger in the room.

Buttercup kept her hands in her pockets as she leaned up against a massive marble white pillar in the room, some several feet behind Princess. Behind her mask, she wore a smirk as she watched Princess fire away. She had to admit: She was good.

After a while, Alfred looked up and noticed the person in the room. He did not know it to be Buttercup, but he recognized the mask from the night before, and knew it to be the individual Princess had wanted to hire. He temporarily paused the target system, and Princess immediately snapped at him. "What the hell, Alfred?!"

Alfred simply pointed behind Princess.

The redhead removed her headphones and turned around. "What the fuck?!" She jumped with a start, immediately drawing her weapon on Buttercup.

Buttercup's laugh was muffled from behind her alien mask, "Sorry," she laughed, "Didn't mean to interrupt you."

Princess lowered her pistol as she realized it was the stranger from the other night. She blinked at them for a moment, before a scowl swept her face and she raised her weapon once more, "JUST WHO DO YOU THINK YOU _ARE_?!" she demanded as she stepped closer, aiming the pistol directly at their forehead. "HOW DID YOU GET IN HERE? YOU BETTER NOT HAVE TOUCHED ANYTHING OR I SWEAR-"

Buttercup laughed again. Her super powered body was bullet proof, and she couldn't help but find it hilarious that Princess threatened her so bravely and naively. Her laughter only provoked Princess further and she stepped even closer, practically pressing her gun right up against her mask. Buttercup still kept her hands in her pockets as she stepped backwards a little. "Hey, calm down, Psycho. I rang your doorbell but nobody was answering," she shrugged casually with the gun in her face, "I figured I'd come in and see if you were home. I heard gunshots, so I came to see where they were coming from."

Princess slowly lowered her weapon. She raised an eyebrow at the tall, skinny teenager and looked them up and down. They hadn't even flinched when she tried to threaten them. And who on earth runs towards the sound of gunfire? Were they stupid? Were they crazy? Whichever it was, it was still a good sign for Princess. She needed someone that foolishly brave for the job, after all.

Alfred now stood behind her and Princess handed him her weapon and headphones to take. She turned back to the stranger and continued to look at them with curiosity, "So what? You wear that mask all the time?"

Buttercup shrugged, but said nothing.

Princess placed her hands on her hips and rolled her eyes, "Well, I hope you've at least broken into my home because you're interested in the job?"

"Yeah, what is it though?" Buttercup still stood with her hands in her pockets.

A devious smile swept the short teen's face. "It's simple, really. I need you to get me something."

"OK," Buttercup shrugged again, "Get you what?"

Princess snapped her fingers, and Buttercup watched as Alfred walked out of the room. Princes continued to look at Buttercup with a sly grin. "Have you heard of the Villains Ward?"

Buttercup blinked at Princess for a moment. "Yeah," she answered finally, "It's in Townsville Prison- where they keep all the villains locked up."

"Good," Princess said with a nod, "Do you know who's in there?"

Buttercup stared at the girl. Was this some sort of test? Did she figure out who she was? Why was she asking about who was in the Villains Ward of all things? Instead of answering truthfully, Buttercup kept silent and answered simply with another shrug.

Princess still stood with her hands on her hips as she smirked. "Mojo Jojo."

"Mojo Jojo?" Buttercup repeated. "...You need me to get Mojo for you?"

Princess nodded.

"Why?"

Princess folded her arms across her chest, "That's not your concern."

Buttercup's green eyes traveled above the short girl's head and fell upon the shredded paper targets that littered the marble floor in the distance. Eyeing the pink, blue and green confetti, she could start to imagine what Mojo might be for. She looked down at Princess, and thought for a moment. She obviously needed Mojo's help "destroying them." It was oddly nostalgic to think about that scenario again for the first time in years, and Buttercup couldn't help but wear a small smirk behind her mask. But even if she did bring her Mojo, would Mojo even help her? And even if he did, how harmful could some bratty teenager's plan be? After a short while of debating with herself, Buttercup curiously asked: "So how much does this job pay?"

"Twenty-five thousand dollars."

Buttercup responded with a short laugh. "I'll do it for fifty."

"Who do you think you _are_?!" Princess gave her own short laugh. "Do not attempt to bargain with me," she warned as she placed her hands firmly on her hips, "You're just going to lose out."

"Come on," Buttercup said, "I know you have it. Look at this place!" She tilted her head towards the entrance of the room, "Is that a solid gold piano in the corner?"

"It is."

Buttercup rolled her eyes. "How about forty then?"

"Just for that. It's ten now."

"What?!"

Princess continued to wear a smug smile as she stepped towards the tall, masked stranger. There had been a time before when money didn't matter to the spoiled girl. However, she had since learned the value of a dollar and spent her money much less frivolously. She refused to overpay, and judging by the tattered jeans, the faded black hooded jacket and the thrift-store Halloween mask- they were young, too, just a teenager- Princess doubted the stranger even knew what that amount of money looked like. Just the age alone was why she only offered them twenty-five in the first place. She had offered Ace 250.

"It's ten thousand dollars in pay," Princess remained firm. "Take it or leave it."

"Fine," Buttercup said stubbornly. "Get someone else then."

" _Fine_."

" _Fine_." Buttercup turned to leave. She walked slowly across the marble tiled room, thinking for sure Princess would change her mind and tell her to stop. But when she reached the door and hadn't, Buttercup stopped to face her once more.

"Do you need Alfred to show you out? He should be back in just a moment."

Buttercup gritted her teeth from behind her mask, offended that Princess thought somebody else could do a job like that. Her eyes fell on the grand golden piano to her left. "Alright, look." Buttercup spoke as she walked over to the piano. The teenager lifted it with one hand, raising it over her head, and balancing it on one finger. With her other hand she reached up and spun the giant gold instrument like a basketball on her finger. "You'd be paying for skills you can't find anywhere else." Buttercup bragged as she transferred the rapidly spinning piano from one finger to another.

" _Impressive_ ," Princess stood with her arms folded across her chest. Truthfully, she was very impressed, but she was sure to say the word in more of a mocking tone towards the stranger. She had to keep her poker face strong during negotiations after all. "It's still ten thousand dollars."

"Aw, come on!" Buttercup shouted as she let the piano fall to the ground with a noisy crash. "Are you _that_ fucking greedy?! Can we at least do the twenty-five again?!"

Princess smirked, but said nothing. She loved it when people begged.

Buttercup groaned. "Alright, whatever. Good luck on your big plan," she muttered as she continued out the door.

"Twenty-five then," Princess's voice called out as Buttercup stepped into the corridor.

She stopped and faced Princess. She watched the young villain come towards her, swaying her hips as she walked. Her black heels clicked and echoed throughout the manor. She still wore a devious smirk as she looked Buttercup in the eyes, through the holes of her mask. Buttercup felt suddenly flushed behind her disguise as the bold redhead seemed to dare her almost to look away, and Buttercup realized then that she really couldn't. There was something about the girl that captivated her then as their eyes locked.

Princess held out her hand out to the stranger for a handshake, completely confident that she had won.

Buttercup pulled her hand from her pockets and took Princess's hand. "OK. Twenty-five. Cash."

As Princess noticed the scars on their hands for the first time, her sly smirk faded. Her mouth dropped a little as her brown eyes widened. The stranger's discolored flesh was rough to the touch, and it surprised her. Princess dropped her hand quickly after their handshake and blushed slightly. Her eyes then fell on Alfred who finally returned. "Oh, Alfred," she began, "Great timing. We've just reached a deal. Please give my lackey their equipment for their mission."

"Equipment?" as Buttercup turned to Alfred, the man dropped a large black duffel bag in her arms. Buttercup sat it at her feet, knelt down and zipped it open.

"Whatever your weapon of choice is, I'm sure you'll find it there," Princess said plainly. "I included plenty of ammunition, but if you think you may need more just say the word."

"Uh..." Buttercup blinked at the large collection of guns and ammunition as she rose to her feet once more. "I think I'm good." Alfred stood behind her with another small bundle in hand, and she took it. "What's this?"

"Your uniform," Princess explained next. "Sorry if it's a little big. I thought for sure Ace would accept the job, so I had everything prepared for him. Although," Princess paused as she laughed a little. "You already appear to be wearing somebody's hand-me-downs. Wow. This money is sure to make a real difference in your life, isn't it?"

Buttercup unfolded the jet black turtleneck sweater that sat on top of a pair of black pants. As the shirt unfurled, a black beanie cap and pair of black leather gloves fell out of it, along with a small black cell phone. Buttercup quickly caught the device before it could hit the floor.

"Be careful with that," Princess said as she placed her hands on her hips again, "It's a secure line. Just in case you need to contact me."

"Got it." Buttercup saw that Alfred had returned yet again with something else for her. He placed a car key which dangled from a circular golden key chain on top of the bundle of clothing. "What's that?"

"Your getaway car, of course." Princess paused. "Wait. How old are you?"

"Sixteen."

"Can you even drive?"

"Sure," Buttercup shrugged. "Do I get to keep the car after the job?"

Princess giggled girlishly behind her hand, before responding shortly: "No."

Buttercup rolled her eyes. "So when do I get paid?"

"When I get the chimp."

Buttercup took the car key and tossed it to Princess. The girl was caught off-guard and fumbled to catch it. "I don't need that."

"How else will you get away then?"

"I'm fast."

Princess rolled her eyes, finding the stranger to be ridiculous. "Trust me, your getaway car is an essential part of the plan. You'll need it. Alfred," Princess turned to the butler, "Please go get my mission playbooks and blue prints so that I can go over everything with..." Princess stopped just as soon as she realized that the stranger had vanished.

* * *

Buttercup sat perched on top of the water tower which overlooked the greater part of Townsville. Sitting directly on top of the massive spherical water tank, she was just a dark colored speck to anyone who might look up from the ground below. One might mistake her for a crow or a raven even from afar. Whenever she needed space, or a place to light up and unwind without the fear of being found out, the water tower was a good spot for her to be alone.

The summer sun beat down on her as she slipped on the pair of black leather gloves that had come with her new "uniform." She had quickly changed into the dark colored clothing on top of the tower. Her blue jeans and hooded jacket sat folded beside her, along with her alien mask.

As she sat there, she bounced her knee anxiously while her gaze was focused intently on Townsville Correctional Prison. It was just down the road from City Hall and just behind the Townsville Police Department. The white-bricked building that was the city's prison looked like any other structure in City Square, save for the barb-wire fencing that surrounded it. It was three stories tall and it housed just over two thousand prisoners.

The super power teen's green eyes shone as she tried to get her most detailed look at the prison below. The Villains Ward was inside, but Buttercup only realized then that she wasn't sure exactly where inside. From her current post, she couldn't see much. She shut off her x-ray vision and groaned a little as she reached for her black colored beanie and pulled it tightly onto her head. As she fixed the brim of the hat above her brow, her eyes fell back on her alien mask. She took it in her gloved hands and stared at the plain faced expression it possessed.

"What am I doing?" she asked herself out loud. She laughed a little, but the nervous chuckle faded, and she repeated the question again but more seriously, " _What the fuck am I doing?_ " She stared at the mask as if it might give her some sort of answer, but it just stared blankly back at her. Buttercup sighed deeply as she rose to her feet. She lowered the mask and looked down at the city again.

City Square was one of the busiest spots in Downtown, especially on a Tuesday. With the sidewalks bustling with pedestrians and the streets lined with cars, Buttercup was starting to wonder if she had chosen the wrong time to attempt this spontaneous mission of hers. At the same time, she knew she couldn't predict when she might get another opportunity to do so. At least right then nobody would be looking for her. The Professor was working and her sisters were celebrating their birthday... without her. Buttercup realized then that she had momentarily forgotten that it was even her birthday. It certainly didn't feel like it.

Buttercup shook her head as she returned her attention to the mask once more and asked it, "What would you do?"

Of course, there was no answer.

Buttercup frowned as she turned to face the west. "This is crazy. I just need to go home and..." her voice trailed off as her green eyes settled on a brightly colored structure in the distance- the Discovery Dome- formerly Mojo Jojo's observatory. Buttercup felt her mouth go dry as she momentarily went blank. She shook her head as she tried to focus once more. "I need to go home and..." she stopped once more. She frowned. And then she scowled. "Why would I go home? What is there even to do there?" she looked at her mask once again, "It's my birthday, right? Shouldn't I be having fun? Don't I deserve to have fun, too?!"

The mask stared back at her with its blank expression.

The skinny teenager looked back down upon City Square. Her eyes fell on the prison once more as she bit her lip for several minutes.

"Fuck it," she said at last. She pulled on the alien mask over her scarred face. "Let's go."

* * *

The metal chains which bound Arturo's hands and legs clinked as he walked. It was difficult to walk with metal cufflinks fixed to one's ankles, but after nearly six years into his lifelong sentence, Arturo had since mastered how to walk in small, quick shuffles to avoid stumbling. The short, green man was escorted out of the prison library by two armed prison guards. His single hour of recreation for the day had ended and it was time for him to return to his high security cell in the Villains Ward.

The library was located on the first level of the building where the prison also held its level one housing for its non-violent offenders. The cells there were hardly prison cells at all, but open dormitories. Groups of orange jumpsuited men roamed freely in and out between their rooms and had open access to all the recreational facilities on the first floor of the prison. However, whenever one of the villains was being escorted through level one, it was procedure for all the prisoners to freeze all activity until that villain had passed through. As Arturo stepped out from the library, he waited behind the guard who stood before him to give the signal. The guard lifted a silver whistle to his lips and blew forcefully. As soon as the other prisoners heard the high pitched call, they obeyed, walking quickly towards the perimeters of the first level and lining up against the wall, where they waited for Arturo to pass with the two armed guards.

Arturo always felt like a strange spectacle on parade as he walked past the other prisoners. They, of course, had no choice but to line up just as they were told, and none of them could help but stare at the short green man bound so heavily in chains. The sudden quiet that interrupted the usually loud and active group of prisoners always made the whole experience even more awkward for Arturo. So he was sure to shuffle along just as fast as he could manage in his cuffs.

As Arturo reached the steps that led from the first level to the next, he heard the sound of a door suddenly slam open behind him. The momentary quiet of the prison ensured that everyone heard it, and all eyes left Arturo and fell immediately on the dark metal doors which led out into the prison's main lobby.

An individual dressed all in black with an alien mask stood at the door, looking oddly casual in the strange attire. They stepped into the prison and the metal door behind them slammed shut, echoing loudly throughout the still prison once more.

"HEY!" shouted a guard who had been stationed just beside that door, "YOU'RE NOT ALLOWED IN HERE-"

The alien masked person interrupted the man with a simple fast fist across his jaw, and the officer was knocked out cold. As soon as the guard hit the ground with a loud thud, the silence that had fallen upon the first floor ended.

Immediately the masked individual was rushed by another group of officers who had all been stationed on that floor. They shouted at the unknown inciter to get down on the ground, but the person in the mask simply turned to face them while they casually cracked their knuckles. It being just the first level, none of those guards were armed with nothing more than a taser. Still, the six officers surrounded them quickly in a tight circle.

Arturo watched from the first steps of the stairs in disbelief. He blinked and within that single blink, the alien masked person had knocked the six guards unconscious, too. They stood among the pile of fallen guardsmen and casually stepped over them, continuing to walk leisurely across the first level as the prisoners there began to flee back to their cells.

Arturo felt the sudden jab of a rifle in his back as the armed guard behind him reminded him not to move, and the second guard spoke quickly into his radio receiver, calling for back up. The second guard then stepped off the first step of the stairs, training his rifle on the masked person. "DON'T MOVE!" he shouted at them.

The person in the mask stopped for a moment, and turned to face the officer with a gun. They cocked their head to one side as they watched the officer move towards them with his rifle aimed and ready. They said nothing in response to the officer. They just stood there and waited.

From behind her mask, Buttercup watched the guard with a rifle steadily march towards her. It was difficult to see more than what was just directly in front of her; the narrow eye holes obstructed much of her peripheral vision. But her super powered hearing was already tuned to the sounds of more boot clad guardsmen approaching from the second level. She began to lick her lips in anticipation as the adrenaline within her began to climb. She wondered if they would have rifles, too.

Buttercup waited until the guard stood directly before her, before she made her next move. The guard had stopped some six feet in front of her, and within another blink of the eye, she appeared right in front of him, and snatched the rifle from his hands. She swiftly disappeared behind him next and whacked the rifle hard against the back of his head, knocking him to the ground as well. She dropped the rifle on the ground and as she did, she immediately heard more shouting from the other armed guard by the stairs behind her.

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" he yelled before he trained his weapon on the masked intruder.

Buttercup could hear the grown man's voice shake a little as he shouted, and she almost felt pity for the guy. She turned around and faced him, and as she did the man immediately began to shoot.

Arturo quickly dropped to the ground as soon as the shooting began and tried his best to cover his head as the bullets whipped through the air. He huddled close to the railing of the stairs for cover, while he stayed low to the ground and shut his eyes tightly. He was certain the masked person was being ripped to shreds by the heavy cascade of fire, and he really didn't want that sort of gory imagery to haunt his memories.

Buttercup continued to walk towards the stairs as the bullets ricochet off her body. The guard who fired upon her ran out of ammunition by the time she reached him. He stared at her masked face with shocked wide eyes as she grabbed the useless weapon from him and swiftly knocked him unconscious, too. Her eyes then fell on the quivering short, green man by the staircase. "Holy shit. _Arturo_?"

Arturo heard the unknown muffled voice and slowly opened his eyes. He looked up and saw that the masked person stood directly above him, and had somehow survived the gunfire without a single scratch.

"Holy shit, it _is_ you!" they laughed as they knelt down beside him, and Arturo flinched a little as the masked face met his. "Dude, can you tell me where the Villains Ward is?"

Arturo blinked back, frozen in shock. "Wh-what?" Who the hell was this _loco_?

"STOP RIGHT THERE!"

Suddenly, a deafening alarm began to buzz loudly as the entire prison became illuminated by blinking red lights, and an overhead speaker repeated in monotone fashion: "FREEZE. THIS IS A LOCKDOWN. FREEZE. THIS IS A LOCKDOWN. FREEZE..." Buttercup and Arturo looked up and saw about thirty-something prison guards lined along the railing of the prison's second level. About half a dozen of them held rifles like the two guards Buttercup had just faced. They trained their weapons on them from above.

Arturo watched the alien person rise to their feet once more as they gazed up at the officers. The masked face looked down at Arturo and shouted over the still screeching alarm system, "BE RIGHT BACK, OK?"

Buttercup leapt straight into the air by about ten feet and landed on the metal railing of the second floor. As she touched down, the crowd of officers who had been leaning against the railing fell backwards. She stepped off the railing and onto the grated floor of the second level, drawing the attention of all the prison guards who immediately rushed towards her.

Behind her mask, Buttercup wore a devious grin as her green eyes narrowed on her first opponent. The charge of officers was led by one with a rifle and he had it trained right on Buttercup. She quickly moved forward and met him head on, grabbing his rifle from him before he could use it, and swatting him with it like a baseball bat. The hard wack sent the leading officer flying backwards and he knocked over the seven other guards that had followed him.

At that point the few officers Buttercup had knocked over upon her landing were on their feet again. They rushed at the teenager, but she dropped down, spun around and instantly met them with a low spinning heel kick, sweeping the men off their feet, and knocking them to the ground once more.

Another team of officers rushed for Buttercup. This time they were led by four armed guards and they wasted no time in shooting at her. As the bullets bounced off her impenetrable body, Buttercup laughed from behind her mask. The officers halted several feet ahead of her, and continued to shoot at her to no avail. The skinny teenager leapt upward, and grabbed onto a hanging fluorescent light with her gloved hands. She swung back and forth from the hanging light fixture and laughed as the officers continued their fire. As she swung forward, she let go, and soared over the crowd of guardsmen, landing just on the other side of them.

She was in the middle of everything now. The remaining twenty guards surrounded her on all sides. They circled her, but they all seemed hesitant to charge.

The cells of the second floor were loud with a mixture of both jeers and cheers from the inmates locked inside them. Even with the prison sirens still blaring, Buttercup could hear them all shouting throughout her fight with the guardsmen. After she landed her last acrobatic leap, the block of cells directly behind her erupted into applause and cheers. Buttercup could feel her heart racing, and behind her mask, she grinned big as she wound up her next attack.

 _JAB-JAB-JAB_. The teenager socked the teeth from three men within a blink of an eye. She turned around and repeated the same quick maneuver to the next batch of guards that came at her. _JAB-JAB-JAB_. She turned and there were more. _JAB-JAB-JAB_. In a matter of three seconds, there was a pile of bodies now at her feet, and she leapt over them swiftly, and landed in front of the final group of guards. She narrowed her eyes on the commanding officer and wore a devious grin as she walked towards him.

The leading guardsman, of course, could not see the maniacal look on the teenager's face, but he still saw a mad man in a mask. The remaining officers that stood behind him all began to flee as the alien intruder drew closer. At that point, they had figured out that they were not dealing with an average human being. The lone standing officer reached for his radio receiver and quickly ordered: "C-call the chief of police-and the mayor-I-I think we might need the Powerpu-"

Buttercup interrupted him with a swift, side kick to the face. "Not yet."

She had noticed just before knocking the man out that he looked to his left as he radioed, so she quickly spun around to see where the man had been looking. Fixed above the third level of the prison was a big, glass box room. It was the prison control room, and inside the bullet-proof box was a single officer who stared out from his post in shock and horror. As Buttercup's green eyes met his, the man quickly reached for a telephone on his switchboard.

Buttercup was in the room before the man could finish dialing. She swiftly grabbed the man by the back of the head and slammed his forehead against the control board, rendering him unconscious. Her green eyes fell on the control board and she spotted the switch for the prison alarm and flipped it. As the red light sirens finally ceased, Buttercup let out a big sigh of relief. " _Finally_!" she groaned from behind her mask. "Shit was driving me crazy..." she muttered as she next studied the rest of the buttons on the control board.

"Block 1-A, block 1-B, block 1-C, 1-D, 1-E..." her glove finger hovered over all the buttons as she tried to figure out which might help unlock Mojo's cell. She had no idea what may work, and so she made the quick decision to just press them all. She ran her gloved hands across all the switches and they turned from red to green. "There! That should let him out somehow, right?"

The doors to all the prison cells in the general population unlocked, and groups of orange jumpsuited inmates began to rush out of their cells. Buttercup stood in the center of the control room and placed her hands on her hips as she smiled proudly behind her mask, "Now just gotta wait till I see him, swoop him up and-" she stopped as her eyes followed the prisoners that rushed down the stairs to the first level and stopped on a four-foot seven short, green man, and she gasped, "Shit. Arturo."

Buttercup leapt straight through the bullet-proof window of the control room, shattering the glass as she broke through. The teenager landed effortlessly some forty feet below, directly in front of Arturo who still huddled beside the staircase. "Back!" she announced as she landed.

Arturo stared at the alien mask, completely speechless.

"Here," the stranger knelt down towards him, "Let me help." They grabbed the linked chains that bound Arturo's hands and quickly snapped them off his wrists.

"Wait!" Arturo shouted. "Y-you can't do that, Man!"

"Why not?" the alien mask tilted their head, "Don't you wanna get out of here? We can get the whole gang, too! It'll be great!"

"Wh-what?"

"I don't see them though," they stood and cupped their hands over their masked forehead as they searched the stampede of prisoners that rushed past them and towards the prison entrance. "I coulda sworn I hit all the buttons..."

Arturo blinked. "N-nah, Man. This is gen pop. The Villains Ward is its own thing-"

"Where is it?"

"Third level," Arturo gulped nervously as he pointed towards the third floor with a shaky finger.

Buttercup looked up and saw a set of double doors clearly labeled "Villains Ward."

" _Oh_."

"Look, Man," Arturo gulped again. "I don't want any trouble. I-I don't have a lot left in this world 'cept getting to speak to my little niña every Sunday and I-"

"Sophia!"

"Wh-what?"

"Yeah, I know her. Dude, let's go! She'll be psyched to see you!"

"H-how do you know Sophia?!"

"I'm her babysitter," the skinny alien shrugged. They knelt down once more and broke the chains from Arturo's ankles. "I'll take you to her, if you want."

Arturo looked up at them and shook their head in disbelief. "Y-you can do that? For real?!"

They shrugged again. "Yeah." They paused, "But first I gotta grab Mojo. You know where he is?"

Arturo nodded as the alien helped him to his feet.

"Let's go then!" Buttercup scooped the short man up in her arms and leapt forty feet into the air, landing just outside the entrance to the Villains Ward.

* * *

The dark, tall walls of the Villains Ward were completely soundproof. The idea behind the design was to prevent any of the villainous residents from communicating or scheming with one another. However, because of that same design, those inside the Villains Ward- Sedusa, Fuzzy, Snake, Grubber, Billy, Mojo Jojo and the two guards stationed there- were completely unaware of the chaos taking place just outside the ward.

Mojo did his best to ignore the incessant whispering of the two guards who watched him through his delivery chute. Out of all the correctional officers there in the Ward, he hated those particular two most of all. At least the other guards had the decency to just drop his daily meal through the chute and leave. These two however spent their entire eight hour shift watching the chimp like an animal at the zoo. For Mojo, there was absolutely nothing more irritating than that.

Mojo sat with his back towards the chute, so as to not give the guards the privilege of getting to see his latest creation at work. The green-skinned primate's fingers were callused from the amount of paper cuts he had endured over the years. With his fingers, he delicately worked with a small sheet of white paper. It took the shape of a skyscraper. The origami sculpture was almost complete, but like all his creations, he took his time with it. Precision was everything.

Behind the chimp lay the rest of his work- The city of Townsville. A paper origami version of it, at least. The impressive white paper replica of the town's landscape took up the majority of the space within Mojo's cell. It possessed everything from the forests, to the hills, to the beaches, Monster Isle, Downtown, City Hall- it was all there. Mojo had even taken the time to sculpt tiny cars for the roads and tiny citizens, too. It was a way to pass the time, although he would not exactly call it fun. But as the simian folded the final crease to his skyscraper, he could not help but smile a little as he realized then that he only had a few more buildings left to sculpt. After all, the real fun began once the city was complete.

"You think we can try and sell some of this stuff on eBay?" one of the guards who watched Mojo asked of the next. "I bet we could make a ton of money off of that monkey's art."

"Yeah, I heard there's a market for that freaky kind of stuff."

"Might as well, right? He's just gonna wreck it once it's done like he always does."

"Yeah, seems like a waste-"

The two guards who spied on Mojo stopped their gossip as soon as they heard the sound of the Villains Ward entrance swinging open. Mojo's cell was at the far end of the ward, so they had to walk away from their entertainment in order to come around the corner and see who had entered. As the two officers came into the hallway, they expected to see their colleagues returning with Arturo as scheduled, but instead there was nobody.

The two guards walked side by side towards the other end of the ward and stared at the entrance-way in confusion. While they looked ahead, they were unaware of the masked figure who silently dropped from the ceiling behind them. The stealthy black figure landed directly behind them and knocked their heads together, causing them to fall to the ground, unconscious.

Buttercup dusted off her gloved hands as they hit the ground. "Piece of cake." Her eyes spotted an encased control board on the wall to her left with several switches. She quickly moved over there, broke the glass with her fist and hit all the switches.

Arturo stepped out from around the corner where he had been hiding and watched as the dark, metal doors to the first six cells snapped open. Then, for the first time in six years, his eyes fell on his friends- Billy, Grubber and Snake. They looked confused as they stepped timidly from their cells, but as soon as their eyes fell on one another, the old group of friends' faces all lit up with joy.

Buttercup smirked from behind her mask as she reclined against the wall behind her and watched the reunion unfold. The green-skin gang hugged one another- Big Billy easily scooping Arturo, Snake and Grubber up in one go. They all shouted at the same time so it was difficult for Buttercup to understand them, but she knew that they were happy.

Sedusa stepped out of her cell next, followed by Fuzzy Lumpkins who celebrated with a loud "WHOO-DOGGY WE'RE FINALLY GETTIN' OUTTA HERE!"

As Buttercup laughed from behind her mask, she stopped suddenly as her super hearing tuned to the steady marching of more boots in the distance. Her green eyes shone as she activated her x-ray vision and saw beyond the ward to the prison lobby below. "Shit," she muttered to herself as her super vision revealed a steady approaching group of armed guardsmen. "Time to speed this up. Let's get outta here-" She stopped and spun around several times, "Wait. Where's Mojo?"

"His cell's different, Man," Arturo explained. "They got him in the big cell!" he pointed to the far end of the ward.

Buttercup turned around and looked at the massively thick titanium door at the end of the hall. "OK," she rubbed her gloved hands together as she quickly moved towards it. She grabbed the door on either side and as her gloved hands grasped the wide frame, the metal bent with the indentation of her fingers. The villains that gathered behind her all looked on with wide eyes and jaws agape.

The skinny teenager forcefully ripped the heavy metal door off the wall and chucked it against the far wall to her left. As the broken titanium door crashed against it, it broke through the wall completely, leaving a giant hole behind. Fuzzy Lumpkins wasted no time in fleeing from the prison through the path Buttercup had created, and Sedusa soon followed after.

"Go on!" Buttercup gestured towards the opening as she shouted at the Grangreen Gang.

"But Sophia-"

Buttercup grabbed the short man by his shoulders and began to shove him towards the opening. "Don't worry, Man! I'll catch up! But in like two minutes this place is gonna be swarming with guards so you better go!"

Even though Arturo protested, his gang pushed past him for the opening and Billy was sure to grab him on the way out. The green giant plucked the green short man from the ground with one hand, and carried him with him as they made their escape.

Buttercup turned back to the now open doorway to Mojo's cell. She saw a cascade of thousands of tiny bits of white paper gliding about the air. "What the?-" she questioned as she stepped inside the cell. She stood at the center of the room and looked around, confused as to why there was paper falling all around her. It was extremely dark inside the titanium walled enclosure and it took a moment for her to notice the pair of practically glowing red eyes in the corner that watched her. When she did, she stumbled backwards a few steps, "Oh shi-"

"YOU," the shadow in the corner glared at her with raw intensity, " _You destroyed it_."

"Wh-what?"

"YOU DESTROYED TOWNSVILLE!" Mojo shouted angrily as he leapt from the shadows. The short simian rushed towards the teenager and stuck a finger in her masked face. "I was _THIS_ close to destroying Townsville and _YOU_ destroyed it yourself! Demolished! Smashed! Ruined! _Obliterated_! What sort of maniac barges into another maniac's home and takes everything from him?! _Hmm_? Do you not understand the devotion and the care and the dedication that went into the construction of my latest creation?! No! You do not! You could not! Yet you greedily and selfishly have ruined all that I've built! And it was not for _YOU_ to ruin but for _ME_! _I_ \- MOJO JOJO! NOT _YOU_! _YOU_... WHOEVER IT IS THAT YOU ARE!"

"Are you crazy or something?!" Buttercup shouted back, "Can't you see that I'm tryin' to bust you outta here?!" she gestured to the missing door to his cell.

Mojo stopped. He blinked at the tall masked intruder before he looked to the doorway. Just then, a team of armed guards rushed into the room and instantly surrounded both he and Buttercup.

As the rifles became fixed on them both, Buttercup groaned from behind her mask. "See what your ramblin' has got us into?" As the teenager rolled her eyes, they fell on the ceiling above. A devious smirk crossed her face as she noticed the glass skylight some eighty feet above them.

"Rambling?! I was not rambling!" Mojo stood with his hands up in surrender. "I do not ramble- it is not what I-"

Mojo was cut short by Buttercup who scooped him up in her arms, and catapulted herself upwards. As they leapt upwards, the guardsmen below began to fire, but they were too late. Buttercup crashed through the skylight fixture, and landed safely on the roof with Mojo in her arms. She sat him down for a moment, before she turned back around to the rectangular frame of the broken skylight. She stuck her masked face over the opening and shouted to the group of officers below, " _HA_! _MISSED_! _SUCKERS_!"

Mojo watched the masked stranger laugh childishly as she taunted the guards below. The way that they behaved, Mojo was sure that it was just a child or teenager behind the green-faced disguise. He watched as they bounced about the rooftop and pumped their gloved fists into the air in wild celebration as they hooted and hollered.

"YES! YES! _YES_! I DID IT! HELL YEAH! OH MAN, THAT WAS AWESOME! WASN'T THAT AWESOME?!"

Mojo stood with his jaw dropped in astonishment for several moments, before he shook off his confusion. He stepped towards the masked stranger and raised an eyebrow. " _Who are you?_ "

Buttercup looked down at Mojo and grinned big from behind her mask, "I don't know!" she laughed again, feeling strangely out of breath. "But we gotta go!"

Before the chimp could speak again, he was snatched up by the stranger in the alien mask. And before he knew it, Mojo was soaring with them through the sky.


	9. Back In Action

**Villain: Redux**

By: Yay Ninja Bob

**Part II: Hate & War **

**Chapter 9**

**Back in Action**

The music that played from the stereo was a familiar tune to Blossom, but she couldn't quite remember where she had heard it before. She watched the small group of teenagers bounce in time with the upbeat tempo as they continued to dance at the center of the room together. The Snyder home's living room was decorated with cascades of multi-colored paper streamers which hung down from the ceiling. The wooden floorboards of the home were littered with scattered pieces of pink and blue confetti and splattered bits of bright neon silly string. From where Blossom leaned up against the wall, there was a large bouquet of pink balloons partially blocking her view of the homemade dance floor. The opaque baby pink color was still translucent enough though that Blossom could easily look through the bubblegum arrangement and watch as Bubbles continued to dance with several of their friends from school. Her sister's blonde pigtails bounced as she rocked her head in time with the music and in sync with Robin who had been her dance partner since the music began.

Blossom watched their friend Pablo rejoin the dance floor with a can of silly string in each of his hands. The tall boy aimed the spray streamers above the crowd of dancers and caused a shower of bright blue and pink stringy foam to rain down on the tops of everyone's heads. Bubbles immediately shouted at him with a laugh and briefly zipped from the dance floor to retrieve her own aerosol can of silly string to fight back with against Pablo.

Bubbles shook the can and took aim, but the tall boy ducked down and quickly hid behind Robin. He laughed as he continued to use the girl as a human shield from Bubbles. "No fair!" Bubbles laughed again and the two continued to dance around Robin who was trapped between their silly string stand-off.

Blossom smiled to herself as she continued to look on from the sidelines. She leaned up against the wall with a can of soda in hand and sipped quietly as her friends Mary, Tiffany and Elmer continued to chat beside her. She tried to focus on their conversation once more, but became distracted by the antics of the dance floor yet again when she heard Robin begin to shout between laughter, "Ahh! You guys! Leave me out of this!"

Robin giggled uncontrollably as she was lifted off the ground by Pablo, who spun around with her, still holding her in front of him as the blue Powerpuff circled them with a steady spray of purple stringy foam. The brunette kicked her feet helplessly as she was held hostage by Pablo and they twirled around together. The purple silly string splattered against them both as they laughed. While Pablo struggled to return fire on Bubbles, Robin quickly snatched the pink colored can from his hand and turned on him. The boy laughed as he fell backwards and Bubbles and Robin teamed up to blast him with a final barrage of bright neon foam.

"Hey, Tiff, I think you might be right," Mary commented as she also watched the silly string warfare play out.

"Told you," Tiffany grinned slyly from behind her can of soda.

"Right about what?" Blossom asked as she looked at her friends.

Mary adjusted her eyeglasses as she looked to Blossom, "Tiff's been saying that she thinks Pablo has a crush on Robin."

Tiffany continued to grin, "Oh, come _on_. It's obvious." She nodded towards the dance floor again.

Blossom watched as Robin helped Pablo back onto his feet and the two continued to laugh together as they tried to shake off the globs of neon colored foam that covered them both.

"I wonder if she might like him back?" Mary questioned.

" _No way_ ," Blossom said out loud before she could stop herself. Her friends glanced in her direction, "I mean," she began again. "Pablo's a nice guy, but... I just don't think he's Robin's type."

"Well, you would know better than us," Mary shrugged. "She's your best friend, right?"

Blossom sipped from her can of cola and stayed quiet as she continued to watch Robin and Pablo from afar.

"I dunno," Tiffany continued, "I think they'd make a pretty cute couple-"

"So, Elmer," Blossom interrupted, feeling a little desperate to change the subject, "How's your summer been so far?"

"Huh? Oh-oh, " Elmer stammered a little. "It's been fine, I-I guess."

"Yeah?" Blossom forced herself to look away from the dance floor and give Elmer her full attention. "How's summer league been? Has your team been winning any games?"

The shy boy hid behind his thick framed glasses as he answered. "W-well yeah, I-I guess, but it's no thanks to me, really. I-I just sit on the bench m-most of the time and just watch."

"Wow, your parents are still making you play baseball?" Mary asked. "Didn't you break your ankle last summer?"

"N-no, I-I just sprained it. It was pretty bad, but..." Elmer gulped a little. "But my dad said it was n-no reason to give up, and so he signed me up this summer again. It's f-fine, I-I guess..."

"Hit any homeruns yet?" Blossom asked as she sipped from her soda can.

Elmer laughed nervously, "N-no," he smiled. "Like I-I said... I-I don't really get to play much." He paused as he drummed his fingers nervously against his can of soda, "Mitch is the one who scores the most runs usually. H-he's the reason why we win most of the time, I-I guess. Coach says he has what it takes to go pro s-someday."

"Ugh," Blossom rolled her eyes a little, "Like that jerk needs his ego inflated any more than it is."

"You're on the same team as Mitch this year?" Tiffany asked with wide eyes. "How is *that*?"

"He better not be tormenting you like he does at school," Mary said with concern.

"N-n-no," Elmer struggled with his stutter for a moment. "H-h-he hasn't... s-so far... I-I mean... my dad is usually at all my games, so... I-I don't think he will..."

"Well that's good," Blossom gave Elmer an encouraging smile. "But if he does try anything, you just let me know, OK?"

"Oh-OK, Blossom," Elmer smiled weakly. "Th-thanks."

As Blossom smiled at her friend, her pink eyes eventually drifted back towards the dance floor. Robin laughed as she ran her fingers through her wavy brown hair, trying her best to remove the chunky bits of silly string that covered much of her head. "Be right back!" she giggled to Bubbles and Pablo as they continued to dance with their other friends. "I need to wash some of this stuff out!"

Blossom watched as Robin left them behind and quickly walked down the hallway and towards the home's staircase. "Be right back," Blossom announced next to her friends as she shortly followed after Robin. By the time she reached the second floor, she spotted her girlfriend disappearing into the upstairs bathroom. Before Robin could shut the door behind her, Blossom slipped past with a flash of pink light and was in the bathroom with her.

"Need some help?" Blossom offered with a smile as she grabbed a towel from the towel rack behind her.

"Sure, thanks," Robin smiled as she shut the door behind her and walked over to the sink counter. She turned on the faucet and tilted her head towards the running, cool water.

Blossom stood behind her and watched as the water began to run brightly with shades of pink and blue as Robin worked out the sticky, multicolored mess from her hair. After a couple of minutes of thorough rinsing, the brunette's hair was clean, but dripping wet as she lifted her head back up. Blossom stood behind her and quickly draped the towel along Robin's shoulders to keep her from wetting her shirt. She then handed Robin a second towel, "You sure got the worst of it, huh?"

Robin's giggle was muffled from the towel as she wiped her face with it, "Yeah, I kinda got stuck between your sister and Pablo and their silly string fight," she laughed.

"I saw," Blossom said as she looked her up and down and laughed a little, "You're still covered all over in that stuff. Maybe you should change clothes."

As Robin toweled off her hair she gave Blossom a devious smirk, "You wanna help me with that, too?"

Blossom's cheeks flushed a bright red as soon as her girlfriend gave her the suggestive look. "Sure. I guess I could if you want."

"Well," Robin stepped towards Blossom, still with a sly smile, "It's your birthday. So _you_ tell me what you want."

Blossom's face only grew redder as she nodded. "Yeah," she answered bashfully, "I think I'd like that." She watched as Robin opened the door once more and stepped into the hall. Blossom followed her into her bedroom across the way, and as soon as they were inside, Robin shut the door behind them and gave Blossom another playful smile.

Blossom was always surprised by just how vulnerable Robin could make her feel in an instant. A gentle, single handed caress of Blossom's face was all it took for the super heroine to go weak in the knees, and she would follow wherever her mortal lover led her. Robin giggled a little as she watched the tall redhead melt under her touch. She cupped her hand delicately under her chin, and brought her face down towards her own, meeting Blossom's red painted lips with a sweet, soft kiss.

Blossom gently held onto Robin by her hips as her kisses traveled to Robin's neck, and Robin felt her skin tingle under her girlfriend's lightly chilled breaths. Robin swiftly removed her shirt and Blossom continued to kiss her along her collarbone. As soon as Robin's shirt fell to the ground, there was a knock on the door.

Blossom groaned a little, but refused to stop her neck kisses as Robin stifled a giggle and shouted out towards the door, "Just changing clothes! I'll be right out!"

"Hey, Robin! Is it cool if we put the basketball game on downstairs?" Pablo asked from the other side of the shut door.

"Yeah, sure!" Robin answered, "The remote should be on the coffee table!"

"Cool, thanks!"

Robin returned her attention to Blossom, but quickly noticed that she had stopped her gentle caressing and now appeared to wear a frown. "Come on," Robin encouraged her with another playful smile, "We don't have to stop."

Blossom bit her lip nervously as she let her hold of Robin go and allowed her hands to fall loosely to her side. "Can I ask you something?"

Robin stared up at Blossom for a moment, confused, but nodded, "Of course."

Blossom stepped away from Robin and continued to bite her lip for several moments. Robin watched as Blossom slowly, but inevitably began to pace just as she always did whenever her mind began to race.

The brunette sighed deeply to herself as she stood there in her bra and watched the redhead float from one side of her room to the next. "What's up, Blossom?"

"Do you- no actually... nevermind..."

"No, what is it?"

"It's nothing."

"It obviously isn't, Blossom, so just tell me," Robin frowned.

"Do you..." Blossom gulped a little, "...like Pablo?"

Robin blinked at Blossom, unsure if she heard her correctly. She had her back towards Robin as she asked her. "Wait. What?"

Blossom turned to face Robin once more. "I know you like boys too, and that's fine. I don't care. Really, I don't, but... Well, it's just that Tiffany and Mary were saying that he's got this crush on you apparently, and so I was just wondering-"

"Blossom, are you serious right now?"" Robin sighed a little. "So just because Tiff and Mary said he likes me, you wanna know if I might like him, too?"

"It's OK if you do, but I just want to know-"

" _NO_ ," Robin interrupted again firmly. "I don't like him. OK?"

Blossom nodded slowly, sensing she had made things worse. "...OK." She watched as her girlfriend walked over to her dresser and retrieved a clean t-shirt from the middle drawer. "It... was stupid of me to ask. I'm sorry, Robin. I was just worried." She frowned. "I guess I just started thinking that maybe... you would want to do better than me."

"You know," Robin muttered as she pulled on the shirt over her head, "You're making it really hard to not get mad at you on your birthday." She faced Blossom again with a frown. "I'm with you, Blossom, because you're the one I like," she stepped towards Blossom and gave her a small smile. "More than that, I love you."

Blossom stepped towards Robin and took her hands in hers, "I love you, too," she said softly, "You're amazing, and..." Blossom frowned a little as she shook her head, "Robin, I'm so sorry. I-I don't know why I get so scared that you might get sick of me one day, but I just-"

Another knock on the door interrupted Blossom, and Robin instantly snapped back with a frustrated shout, "Just a minute!" She looked back at Blossom, "Look," she sighed. "It's your birthday today. I really don't want something like this to ruin your day. So let's just try and forget it, OK?"

"OK," Blossom smiled weakly.

Another knock on the door and this time both girls shouted at the door at the same time, "What?!"

"Blossom, are you in there?" Bubbles' voice squeaked on the other side.

Blossom and Robin looked at one another before they answered the door together. They opened it and saw that Bubbles stood on the other side with a grave look on her face. Her baby blue eyes glistened as she looked to Blossom who immediately stepped towards her with concern. "Bubbles, what's wrong?"

Bubbles took her sister by the hand and began to lead her towards the stairway. "There's something on TV you have to see..."

"Bubbles, what is it?" Blossom questioned as her sister led her back to the Snyder home's living room. Robin followed after them and as the three entered the room together, Blossom noticed that the party's music had ended.

There was a hushed quiet among everyone as they stood gathered around the TV. Blossom could see a mix of fear and confusion in her friends' eyes which remained fixed intently on the television screen. As her pink eyes finally fell on the TV, they grew wide and she could not help but gasp out loud.

"If you are just tuning in, we are watching live aerial coverage of what authorities are describing as 'the largest prison breach' Townsville has ever seen. No comment yet on how many prisoners have escaped, but from what we are seeing here, at least hundreds of inmates are actively fleeing into the streets here in City Square. At this time, we are advising everyone in Townsville to stay indoors."

The live broadcast was an aerial shot of City Square, focused mainly on Townsville Prison. Just as the news helicopter's reporter described, there was an endless parade of orange jumpsuits rushing beyond the barbed wire gates of the facility and pouring into the chaotic streets of the city. Lines of police cars tried to barricade the perimeter of the prison, but the force of the orange jumpsuited men was too much. The black and white cars shook violently as their sirens flashed red and blue, while the crowds of inmates began to topple each cop car over one by one. As the helicopter coverage pulled back and revealed more of the area, there were several small fires beginning to break out along the streets. Not much further, there was a large group of police officers, outfitted in riot gear, with their batons drawn and their shields up as they steadily marched. As they drew near the lawless met them head on, and there was an immediate clash of orange and black, as the officers tried to force the prisoners backward and the prisoners fought to break past them.

Blossom stared at the live footage with her jaw agape for several moments. Bubbles and Robin both stood beside her, and also looked on in continued shock. Less than a decade prior to then, a prison break in Townsville wasn't all that uncommon. However it had been a long time since something like that had happened, and it definitely had never happened on such a wide scale before. A few escaped convicts was one thing, but hundreds all at once? As Blossom watched the news coverage, she tried her best to estimate just how big a prison breach it was. There were so many orange jumpsuits on the screen, it was hard to be sure. It looked almost as if every prisoner had managed to escape somehow.

Blossom felt a buzzing from her cellphone in her pocket. She fumbled to retrieve it, still not wanting to tear her eyes from the news coverage. "H-hello?" she answered as she pressed the phone to her ear.

"Blossom, it's the mayor!" Mayor Bellum's voice shouted on the other end.

Upon hearing the panic in the mayor's voice, Blossom's heart began to race. "Yes, Mayor?"

"Blossom, there's been a massive prison breach at Townsville Correctional! We have officers on the scene, but there are far too many escaped inmates for them to handle! We need the Powerpuff Girls!"

As Blossom listened to the mayor's pleas, she felt the air around her thicken with tension. Although the mayor spoke quickly, somehow everything felt like it was happening then in slow motion. The moment was so surreal to her, it took a second for Blossom to remember to respond. She took a short, deep breath before answering. "Don't worry, Mayor... We're on it."

Bubbles looked to Blossom as she hung up her cell. She held her breath as she waited for Blossom to speak.

"That was the mayor," Blossom announced quietly as all eyes on the room fell on her. Blossom looked around the room at her friends' scared expressions, and felt something begin to stir within her. She placed her hands on her hips, straightened her posture and lifted her chin as she turned to Bubbles and nodded firmly, "Townsville needs us."

* * *

Mojo's dark fur rustled in the wind as he was carried through the sky at high speed. He hung suspended below his unknown masked abductor who grasped him firmly with their gloved hands by his hairy forearms. The wind whistled loudly as it ripped past his ears and he felt an intense pressure building within his exposed, oversized brain the longer they remained in the air. It was impossible to know how high up they were as they flew through the sky, but judging from the thick cloud banks below his dangling bare, green feet, Mojo knew it would be foolish to try to break free. "Where are you taking me?!" he demanded loudly over the roaring wind. "Who are you?! What is the meaning of this?! For what purpose have you broken me from my cell, and just what is it that you want with me?!"

"Calm down!" they shouted back. "We're almost there!"

The clouds beneath his feet began to part. Mojo looked down and saw the ground steadily approaching as they began their descent at last. The lush green landscape below sloped upwards, and along the grassy hills sat many large mansion-sized homes with bright blue, sparkling swimming pools and tall and gleaming, private access gates. The Hills was home to the most elite class of Townsville, but at the very top sat the largest of all the estates. Mojo's eyes narrowed on the two golden M's that marked their destination, and grumbled low under his breath, " _Morbucks_."

They swiftly glided over the tall golden gateway and landed on the doorstep of the main home. The alien masked person sat Mojo down first, before ringing the doorbell on the door.

Mojo scoffed as he dusted off his bright orange jumpsuit. Out of all the possible destinations to be taken to against his will, Morbucks Manor would make the top of his personal list of least desirable places. After all, it was partially the wealthy billionaire's fault as to why the Villains Ward existed in the first place. Not only did the Morbucks money pay for the Villains Ward, but it was the businessman's own construction company who built the ward, too. After all the help he had graciously given to the family's spoiled heiress- designing her blaster ray guns, her jet pack, and even showing the child how to use them- one would think their previous business together would count for something, but it did not stop Morbucks from ultimately selling the chimp out.

Mojo watched as the masked stranger seemed to impatiently bounce in place as they rang the doorbell again. They reached into their back pocket and retrieved a black cellular phone, "Shit, this is taking too long," they muttered from behind their mask. "Gotta go," they looked to Mojo. "See ya."

"Wait one minute-" Mojo began, but stopped as the masked person stepped off from the porch and quickly launched themselves straight into the air once more. Within a split second, they had disappeared high into the atmosphere and Mojo was left standing there alone outside the front door to the mansion.

As Mojo blinked up at the sky, Alfred arrived to answer the door. The skinny butler's eyes grew wide as they fell on the mutant chimpanzee that waited on their doorstep. " _Miss_?" he called out behind him, "I believe you have a delivery..."

Mojo turned back around and his eyes fell on a short young woman with curly red hair. As her brown eyes fell on Mojo, she wore a look of shock on her face. " _Holy shit_ ," she breathed to herself as she stepped out onto the porch and met the monkey face to face. "They actually did it, but how on Earth..." While Princess stood there, momentarily stunned, she felt a buzzing from her cellphone. She saw from the caller ID that it was the line she had given to her lackey earlier and so she quickly answered it.

"So that'll be twenty-five thousand. Cash. I'll be back tomorrow for it, so have it ready."

Princess held her cell to her ear and nodded, "Of course." The line ended and Princess hung up her cell. She blinked at the device in her hands for a moment, wondering to herself how her lackey managed to complete their mission so quickly- without even taking any of the equipment she tried to provide. She still had no clue who they were, and the increasing mystery surrounding them only made Princess all the more curious.

Mojo studied the freckle faced teenager with a raised eyebrow. Slowly, he began to recognize her, although he did not believe it at first. The last time he had seen the bratty little girl, well, she was just a little girl. At that moment, Mojo began to realize just how long his last incarceration managed to last. The girl was just around ten when last he saw her, and now she looked to be well into her teens.

As Princess returned her cell to her pocket, she turned to Mojo once more and looked him up and down. "Well, I certainly wasn't expecting your arrival so soon, but," she paused as she turned to Alfred behind her and clapped her hands, "Alfred, please get our guest suite on the East end ready for Mojo."

"Right away, Miss," Alfred answered with a single nod and turned to leave.

Princess turned back to Mojo and placed her hands on her hips, "It's nice to see you again, Mojo," she said with an innocent smile.

"Princess?" Mojo folded his arms across his chest, "So, it was _you_ who was behind my kidnapping?"

"Kidnapping?" Princess laughed a little, "I would think you'd see it more as a rescue."

Mojo shook his head. "What else would one call it when one is taken against their will, and brought to a location against their own choosing? Rescue?" He scoffed. "I remember just how you Morbucks operate, and I know for certain that this freedom will come at a price, for your empire does nothing for free. I, Mojo, am no fool! So do not waste your time pretending that this is charity! As I said, I know better, and I know that you have brought me here not for my benefit, but yours- your own- and not mine! Well," he glared at Princess, "Whatever it is that you need from me, I'll have you know that I will have no part in it!"

"That's a funny way of saying 'thank you.'" Princess said with her hands on her hips. "Come, let's go inside," she motioned for Mojo to follow her, but the chimp kept his arms crossed and his eyes narrowed on the girl. Princess could see that Mojo was displeased with his situation, but she knew he would have no choice but to get over it eventually. She rolled her eyes, "Oh _come on_ , Mojo," she tried again. "It's been six years. Where else do you have to go right now?"

Mojo's eyes widened for a moment, " _Six years_?" he repeated in disbelief.

Princess nodded. "That's right," she said as she held the door open for Mojo. "So come on in. I'll have Alfred prepare us some tea, and the two of us can catch up."

Mojo pondered this for a moment. He thought back to the events that had just transpired and imagined that the city most definitely had been alerted to his escape from prison. There was no question that soon those cursed Powerpuffs would be after him. His eyes fell on a window to his left where he could see a faint reflection of himself. The bright orange jumpsuit he wore would make him an easy target for anyone wishing to return him to a cell.

The short chimp looked to Princess and saw that she still wore an annoying, smug smile. As much as he wanted to tell the spoiled brat to take a hike, at that time his options for avoiding re-capture were sadly limited.

Mojo continued to glare at the girl, cursing her name under his breath, as he crossed into the grand foyer of the golden gilded mansion.

Princess shut the door behind them. "Right this way, Mojo," she held her chin upright as she walked past him, "We have much to discuss."

* * *

"So that'll be twenty-five thousand. Cash," Buttercup said into the black cellphone she held against her ear as she hovered briefly in the air. "I'll be back tomorrow for it, so have it ready."

"Of course," Princess replied simply on the other end.

Buttercup ended the call and darted forward once more. She wasn't sure how long it would take for the Powerpuff Girls to be called, but she knew that call was coming, and she did not want to be caught missing when that happened. Still, she had to keep her rate of travel carefully calculated as she soared through the sky. If she flew at top speed, it would automatically trigger a bright lime-green trail of light, which was something she wished to avoid. Sneaking around the city undetected had become one of the green Powerpuff's secret talents. She had mastered just how to fly ever so slightly below her maximum flight speed without summoning her light trail. At just the right speed, and at just the right height, she could soar through the sky unseen. It wasn't long before she successfully reached her home, and as she flew towards her bedroom window she removed her mask and reached for the circular pane of glass.

Buttercup struggled momentarily to lift her window open before she slammed her gloved hand hard against the glass. "FUCK!" she shouted in frustration, remembering again then that the window had been sealed by the Professor just two weeks prior. He had replaced the window glass with a new invention of his- a clear, crystal glass that proved to be Powerpuff-proof. It was an attempt to keep his troublemaking teenager from sneaking out, but in this case, it successfully kept her from sneaking back in.

Buttercup began to hover towards the front of their home. She figured the likely hood of the Professor being near the front door was pretty slim. He said he would be "in the lab," and that common statement of his usually guaranteed his absence until at least dinner time. However, as she came around the corner, she spotted her sisters leaving their next door neighbor's home in the distance. "Shit!" she darted quickly back around the corner of their home and rushed for the shut window to her sister Bubbles' room.

Bubbles' bedroom window was not equipped with the same security measures as Buttercup's, and she had no problem forcing it open. However, on the other side of the window sat a collection of brightly painted art canvases, and Buttercup stumbled over the pile of artwork as she fell inside. She had no time to fix the scattered mess she caused, as she heard the sound of her sisters entering their home downstairs. She shot off to her own bedroom quickly with a flash of green light and slammed the door shut behind her.

" _Buttercup_!" both Blossom and Bubbles called out in unison as they entered downstairs.

Buttercup's heart raced faster as she rapidly removed her dark themed outfit, and shot off towards her closet to retrieve the first pair of pants and shirt she saw. She pulled on her clothes quickly, and stumbled again as she panicked to hide her previous disguise beneath the piles of laundry at the floor of her closet. She shut the closet door and zipped back to her bed where she retrieved a random comic book on her nightstand, and tried her best to look casual as she listened to the sounds of her sisters ascending the stairway together.

" _Buttercup_!" her sisters shouted again as they opened the door together, and found Buttercup reclined on her bed with her paper comic book in hand.

Buttercup glanced up at them as she sat up. "What's up?" she questioned. Within her chest, her heart still pounded and she felt a nervous sweat on her face, but she could see by the look in her sisters' eyes that they were already too preoccupied by something else to notice.

"Buttercup, there's been a breach at Townsville Prison!" Blossom explained quickly. "Get your uniform on! We gotta go!"

Buttercup sat aside her comic and rose to her feet as she watched Blossom disappear with a flash of pink light into her own bedroom. "What's going on?" Buttercup played dumb to her blue eyed sister.

Bubbles shook her head, "It's terrible, Buttercup!" she said with a high pitched squeak, "We were at Robin's watching the basketball game when it cut to the news! It's the biggest prison break Townsville has ever seen and all the criminals are out and now they're all in the streets, and the police are being overrun and-"

"Bubbles!" Blossom interrupted her harshly as she reappeared at the doorway, half dressed in her pink Powerpuff uniform. She had her pink and black track pants on, and just a white tank which she normally wore underneath their team jacket, as she snapped at both her siblings. "Go get dressed now! We need to get going!"

Bubbles disappeared next with a flash of baby blue, and Buttercup began towards her closet door. She opened it and retrieved the lime green uniform that hung in the back. As she removed the clothing from its hanger, her eyes fell on the pile of clothes at her feet and she kicked them further into the closet, making certain that the alien mask she had been wearing was still buried deep beneath the heap.

"There's no telling how many inmates managed to make it out! Hundreds at least! Maybe more!" Blossom spoke loudly from her bedroom as she continued to get dressed. The team leader's room was between both her siblings' rooms. Bubbles and Buttercup could easily hear her through the walls as she continued to shout at them while they individually put on their uniforms. "When we get there, our priorities are as follows: _One_ , contain the breach! _Two_ , stop any more crooks from escaping! And _three_ , round up the ones who have and return them to where they belong! Got it, girls?"

"Got it," Bubbles and Buttercup's voices returned from beyond the walls to their respective bedrooms.

As Blossom zipped up her pink, Powerpuff team jacket, her pink eyes fell on her vanity set at the corner of her room. Above the mirror, hung a bright red ribbon. She snatched it quickly and used it to tie up her hair.

" _Girls_?" the Professor called from downstairs. "What's with all the shouting? Is something going on?"

Blossom finished fixing her red bow around her ponytail and quickly darted out of her room with a flash of pink light. Just as the Professor had reached the top of the basement steps, Blossom met him face to face.

"Blossom?" the Professor looked at his daughter with concern. He noticed immediately that she was fully dressed in her superhero uniform. "What's happening?" he questioned.

"Professor, there's been a massive breach at Townsville Prison-"

"A massive breach? When?!"

"Just now apparently, and the mayor needs our help!" Blossom explained quickly. "There are hundreds of escaped convicts- too many for the police to handle on their own- and so it's up to us!"

"Ready!" Bubbles announced as she zipped into the room next. The tall blonde was dressed in her bright blue uniform.

"Buttercup, are you almost-" Blossom began to shout for her green eyed sibling, but was interrupted by a bright flash of green light as she appeared next.

"Ready," she announced, too, as she stood before Blossom in her lime green uniform.

As Blossom's eyes fell on Buttercup, she saw that the tomboy had taken the time to cover her dark facial scarring with a simple layer of concealer makeup. Even with the thick coat of liquid concealer, the scar on her face was still faintly visible, but only when up close. It was something Buttercup would do whenever they had pre-planned Powerpuff events, although Buttercup tended to avoid such events altogether for the most part. The only other reason she would cover her face scar, was for school, and that was to avoid "being a distraction" by the request of her teachers. Wearing makeup was something Buttercup usually protested against loudly, and Blossom was surprised then to see her wearing it without anyone having to first suggest it.

Blossom stepped towards Buttercup and placed a hand on her shoulder, "You look good."

Buttercup rolled her eyes. "Whatever."

"Come on," Blossom nodded firmly at each of her sisters, "Let's go."

As the three made their way to their home's front door, the Professor hurried after them and shouted, "Girls, wait!"

The triplets halted at the doorway and waited for the Professor to catch up. As soon as he reached them, he wrapped his arms around all three of them at once and embraced them tightly, "Be careful out there, Girls," as the scientist spoke, his voice broke a little as his emotions rose.

"We will, Professor," Bubbles squeaked quietly. The blonde was in the center of the group and she wrapped her arms around the Professor's torso as she returned the tight hug.

Blossom returned the hug, too. "We got this, Professor," she smiled reassuringly at him. As she pulled away from the group embrace, she heard another voice shout from behind.

"Wait!"

The three siblings turned around and saw Robin sprinting up their driveway. Her teal eyes were wide and she panted heavily as she stumbled quickly up to their front porch. Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup stepped out onto the porch and met her. Robin held her hand to her chest as she tried to catch her breath, "The TV... just said..." she began through heavy pants, "That the Villains Ward... was hit..."

Blossom and Bubbles' eyes widened immediately as they gasped out loud, and Buttercup gulped nervously as she looked from Robin to her sisters. Professor Utonium stood behind them and also stood with his jaw agape. Blossom stepped towards Robin and asked quickly, "Did they mention if any escaped?"

Robin nodded as she frowned. "They all did."

Blossom's jaw dropped, and Bubbles gasped again. Buttercup saw each of her sister's shocked reactions and tried to fake her own as best she could, "That's... crazy..." she muttered as she shook her head.

Blossom forced herself to shake off her surprise and turned to both Bubbles and Buttercup. "Girls, while we're out there, any villain spotted takes top priority. Got it?"

"Got it," Bubbles and Buttercup nodded together.

"Good. Now, let's-" Blossom stopped as Robin threw her arms around her.

"Please be safe!" Robin sniffled a little as she interrupted the tall, pink Powerpuff with a tight embrace.

"W-we will." Blossom's face flushed red, but it faded as Robin pulled away and hugged her sister Bubbles next.

"Good luck!" Robin said as she embraced Bubbles.

"Thanks, Robin," Bubbles returned the hug quickly.

Robin pulled away from Bubbles and turned to Buttercup last. She wrapped her arms around the skinny, green Powerpuff and gave her a quick hug. As Robin pulled away, Buttercup could see that her teal blue eyes glistened with tears, but the girl dismissed her emotions with a short laugh as she gave Buttercup a smirk, "And kick some ass, OK?"

Buttercup returned a small smirk, "OK."

Blossom stepped off the front porch, and Bubbles and Buttercup followed after her. As Bubbles stood to Blossom's right, and Buttercup joined her on her left, she gave them each a single, determined nod. "Let's go!" Blossom shouted, and with that the superhero trio shot off into the sky with a multicolored blast of green, pink and blue.

* * *

It was over a thirty-foot drop from the third level of the prison to the concrete ground below. While his friends Grubber and Snake momentarily halted at the opening of the broken prison wall, Big Billy gave the jump no second thought. After all, Fuzzy and Sedusa had managed to make it look so easy. As Arturo argued with the strange skinny alien, the eight-foot tall giant scooped his short little buddy up with his right hand, and collected Snake and Grubber next with his left arm. With the three of them in his arms, he made his daring leap.

The large man hit the concrete with both feet underneath him, and as his knees bent, he felt a sharp pain in his right ankle. Billy yelped a little as he set his friends down on their feet.

"Yo, you OK?" Arturo asked as he watched Billy wince in pain.

"Yah," the redheaded giant massaged the spot above his foot, as he knelt over, "Yah... I'm OK."

The gang had landed just behind the prison building. Although they had no visual of the front gates, they could hear the loud commotion of the ongoing prison riot as the escaped inmates and officers fought against one another. They suddenly heard a ferocious roar to their left, and turned to see that Fuzzy Lumpkins had reached the barbed fencing some two hundred yards away. The giant pink beast's fur was puffed out and rigid as he tore at the fencing with his bare hands. He peeled back the wire barrier wide enough for him to slip through, and he charged forward once more.

"Come on, guys! ¡ _Vamanos_!" Arturo shouted and the four men began to race for the opening.

As they ran across the long stretch of pavement, they could see Sedusa running towards the same opening just ahead of them. Snake was the fastest out of his friends and he bolted past the wild-haired villainess and reached the hole in the fencing first. As he turned back to call after the rest of the gang to hurry, Sedusa was right behind him. "Outta the way, Chump!" she elbowed past the skinny gangster as she ducked low under the opening.

Just on the other side of the fencing was a road, and beyond that was a small city park. Sedusa halted beside the road as the sounds of gunshots rang out behind her. The gang stopped too, and collectively flinched at the sudden loud popping heard coming from the prison. They looked back towards the broken wall of the Villains Ward and saw a series of bright flashes, but could not see much else.

Sedusa turned back towards the street. Far down the road she could see red and blue lights flashing as a parade of cop cars sped towards the prison. Her bright green eyes fell on the park across the street and she quickly darted across the road.

"Come onsss! Hurry up, guysss!" Snake shouted as he waited still at the fence. He also saw the police sirens approaching, and his heart raced faster the closer they got.

Grubber reached the fence opening, followed by Arturo and Big Billy trailed behind last as he hobbled a bit on his hurt ankle.

"Thisss way!" Snake rushed the group as soon as they made it past the prison barrier, and led them across the street just where he had seen Sedusa disappear.

The green skinned men ran directly into the city park and quickly scrambled to hide behind a hedge of tall, green bushes. As they fell behind the bushy foliage, they landed beside Sedusa who had already been hiding there. The pale beauty in the orange jumpsuit looked disgusted as the men huddled up beside her. "What, are you following me?! Can't you freaks find your own hiding spot?!" she snapped at them.

"Sssorry!" Snake said in a hushed voice as the police sirens whizzed by in the streets. "We don't know wheresss we're going! And I just figured yousss wasss better at thisss villain ssstuff than any of ussses sssso-"

Sedusa quickly cupped her hand over Snake's mouth as several police cars halted on the street. "Shhh!" she hushed all of them. "Shut up or you'll give us away!"

The five held their breath as they peaked through the hedgeway and saw six cop cars pull along the curb outside the prison. A team of ten officers gathered around the damaged fencing where they had just made their escape. While several stood guard around the torn fencing, another group of officers began to scatter throughout the area in search of any nearby escapees. Eventually, two officers began to cross the road and headed towards the park.

"Sssshit," Snake muttered, "What do we do nowsss?"

Sedusa pursed her lips as she watched the approaching officers and tried to think of a new route for escape. As soon as the officers made it past the hedges, the five of them would be right in plain sight. The gang beside her began to tremble as they fearfully watched the two cops draw near. She glanced in their direction and briefly felt pity for the young men. They were still just boys, really. Being centuries old herself, this was not her first jail break and she doubted it would be her last.

"You boys wanna make it out of this?" Sedusa whispered.

"Yeah!" all four responded in low whispers.

"OK," she turned towards them, "On three, we make a run for it that way," she tilted her head to the right, "Think you boys can do that?"

They nodded at her in unison.

"Good," Sedusa smirked a little. "Get ready then."

The four men remained crouched behind the hedge bushes, and kept their eyes focused on the road to their right as Sedusa began to count in a quiet whisper.

"One... two... three!"

Grubber, Billy, Snake and Arturo leapt from behind the bushes and sprinted as fast as they could for the road to their right. As they jumped from their hiding spot the two officers stopped in their steps and shouted after them immediately, "Hey! Stop right there!"

The gang did not look back as they ran down the sidewalk together, but they could hear the two officers chasing after them. Although they had no clue where they were going exactly, they knew if they stood a chance they would have to keep moving. None of them had yet realized that when Sedusa had counted to three, she failed to follow after them.

Sedusa remained crouched behind the hedge as she watched the policemen dart after the Gangreen Gang. The villainess wore a devious smirk as her bright green eyes followed the chase down the road. "Sorry boys," she cackled quietly to herself, "It was just too easy." As soon as they rounded the corner and were out of sight, she slipped away to her left and made her escape.

* * *

The streets of City Square had erupted into complete pandemonium. A deafening choir of police sirens blared over the loud clamor of the ongoing battle between officers and outlaws. The city's entire police force was called into action, and still it was not enough force to keep the escaped inmates of the prison contained. While the lines of officers were overrun by the massive tidal wave of orange jumpsuits, they looked up and finally saw their super powered reinforcements arrive.

Even though she had already seen the scene for herself on television, once they had arrived in person, Blossom was shocked all over again by the mayhem taking place below. Her sisters hovered on either side of her and also looked on with wide eyes. " _Woah_ ," all three breathed in unison.

"OK, Girls," Blossom clapped her hands together, "We've got a lot of work to do, so let's get started. Bubbles, you take the west side of City Square. Buttercup you stick with the east. I'll handle the front gates. Every crook in orange needs to be put back behind bars, and remember to keep an eye out especially for our escaped villains- the Gangreen Gang, Sedusa, Fuzzy and Mojo."

As her sister named the villains, Bubbles squeaked at the sound of Fuzzy's name. "If the villains are all out... wouldn't they try to go back to all their old lairs? We should look for them there!"

"That's good thinking, Bubbles," Blossom nodded. "But-" her pink eyes fell on the hundreds of escaped criminals beneath their feet and her super hearing tuned to the sharp cry of a woman screaming. The pink Powerpuff saw that the cries for help were from an innocent civilian who sat in her car; a large inmate had broken her driver's side window. She screamed for help as he tried to force the car door open. "First, we have to get this under control!" Blossom shouted. "Come on!"

Blossom shot off quickly to the civilian's rescue. A flash of pink light swooped down from the sky and the inmate was tossed aside like a ragdoll. Blossom appeared before the frightened woman and helped her from her vehicle. "Don't worry, Ma'am! You're safe now!"

As Bubbles and Buttercup watched their sister carry the woman off to safety, Bubbles let out another nervous squeak and turned to Buttercup, "Buttercup... if Fuzzy's out, what if he goes back to his cabin and finds the coyotes?"

Buttercup glanced at her. " _Shit_..." she muttered quietly, "I didn't think of that-"

More cries of help from below interrupted the two. They looked down to where there was a city bus parked along the street. The shouting came from the bus driver who was being forced out from his vehicle. As the city worker was tossed out onto the sidewalk, a stampede of escaped convicts ran past him and boarded the hijacked bus. Just as the bus began to speed away, Bubbles and Buttercup shot after it. They each grabbed the bus by its back bumper and kept it from going any further.

As the tires screeched to break free from the two's hold, Buttercup looked to Bubbles. She saw that her blue eyes glistened with tears a little, and she could tell that her sister was truly worried about her coyotes. "We'll work fast, OK?" Buttercup shouted over the burning rubber, "As soon as this shit is cleaned up, we'll go check on them, alright?"

Bubbles nodded, "OK!"

"I got these guys!" Buttercup nodded towards the bus, "Go and get the driver to safety!"

Bubbles nodded and took off with a flash of blue light. Buttercup lifted the bus up by its back end, and raised it off the ground as its wheels helplessly spun faster. In the distance she could see that the gates to the prison were finally closed and secured again by law enforcement. Her sister Blossom swooped down from above and scooped up several inmates at once. She tossed them over the shut gate, before repeating the same maneuver again, and again.

Buttercup looked up at the dozens of trapped inmates inside the bus through the wide, rear window. They booed and cursed the green Puff's name as she held onto their getaway bus. "It was a nice try, guys," she shook her head at them before lifting the bus over her head as she ascended into the air with it. She chucked it and sent it soaring over the prison gates. The vehicle's tires blew out completely beneath it as it violently crashed down just outside the prison entrance. Everyone on board was stupefied by the rough landing. A team of nearby officers immediately rushed over and quickly apprehended the men on board.

Bright flashes of pink, green and blue weaved in and out of the streets as the girls worked together to round up all the men in orange. Amid the chaos, the heroes would find the occasional innocent civilian who had been unfortunate enough to be out in City Square that day. The team used the nearby city capitol as a temporary refuge for the innocent, where the mayor and her staff provided shelter for the stranded and aid.

As the escaped men scattered in a panic, there was an increasing sense of fear growing among them as the Powerpuff Girls charged down from above repeatedly. Like bright, glowing neon hawks swooping down on their unsuspecting prey, one by one, the heroes plucked the inmates from the streets, carried them into the sky and delivered them back to the prison. As the hysteria among the inmates intensified, some escapees began to retreat freely, hoping to avoid an encounter with the Powerpuffs altogether. With the heroes there to deal with the prisoners in the streets, the police were able to focus their efforts on returning every crook to their cell. With hundreds of criminals to deal with, it still took every cop on the force working to get the job done.

After successfully clearing her area, Blossom soared high above the streets and saw that several cop cars nearby had been set on fire. She quickly flew over to the burning vehicles and used her ice breath to extinguish the flames. As the embers died down, she looked to her right and saw that Bubbles' area was almost nearly clear, too. Buttercup was to her left and had done well securing her side. Blossom saw that she carried a pile of unconscious men in one arm as she sucker punched another fleeing criminal with her free hand and then added his unconscious body to her collection. With half a dozen crooks in her arms, the green Puff's hands were full and she shot off towards the prison with a flash of green light to deliver her final catch.

Blossom hovered high in the air once more and searched with her bright pink eyes. She had yet to spot any villains since their roundup efforts began, and her heart raced frantically as she realized this. Even though the streets below were much calmer, she knew there had to be more criminals still out there, including all the villains. As her pink eyes scanned the ground, they locked on a large group of fleeing criminals in the distance. They had managed to make it far enough down the road on foot that they had nearly reached the border of Downtown. Blossom's eyes began to glow red as she fired up her laserbeams. With one quick zap, her laser eye beams struck a tall palm tree. It came crashing down onto the road just before the group of inmates, blocking their path into the city.

Bubbles and Buttercup joined Blossom in the sky. They took a moment to catch their breath as their leader gave her next command, "There's still some inmates who've made it past City Square. Spread out, and make sure that none make it any further into the city! Again, we need to be on the lookout for any villains! If any of us spot one, we call each other on our cells for back up immediately! Especially if it's Mojo! Got it?"

"Got it!"

"Good." Blossom gave each of her sisters a small, proud smile. They both looked so determined, and despite everything, Blossom couldn't help but feel strangely happy in that moment. "Great work so far, Girls."

Bubbles and Buttercup each returned a weak smile to Blossom. For Bubbles, her concern for the coyotes still weighed heavy on her mind, and her motivation for completing the job at hand was to get to her secret rescue in the woods as soon as possible. Buttercup could see behind the blonde's forced smile, and could tell that this was the case for her. There had been no sign of Fuzzy anywhere. Surely, if he was still in City Square the hairy pink sasquatch would easily stand out amidst the rest of the inmates. Buttercup felt a wave of nauseous guilt wash over her as she thought about the possibility of him reaching the cabin before she and Bubbles could. If anything happened to her sister's coyotes... Bubbles would never forgive her.

Blossom could sense that something was troubling both her siblings, but she thought it to be nerves. After all, it had been the first true call to action in years for the team. Less than a couple hours ago they were celebrating their birthday, and now they were dealing with a wide scale prison break. She gently rested a hand on each of her sister's shoulders, "We're almost through this, Girls," she smiled reassuringly. " _We can do this_."

Buttercup and Bubbles nodded together. They each shook off their uneasiness and looked determined once more.  
"Let's go!" Blossom ordered.

With that the team shot off into action again. Blossom flew towards the group she had stopped down the road, Bubbles retreated back towards the west, and Buttercup darted for the east side.

* * *

The pavement beneath his feet was so hot, Snake could feel the heat radiate through the soles of his black boots as he sprinted down the street. The green man's forked tongue slithered rapidly in and out between his thin lips as he breathed deeply in through his nose and out his mouth- just like his old track coach in high school had taught him. Before he dropped out, the young green man held the record for nearly every track and field event at his school. Short sprints, marathons, hurdles- he had a real talent when it came to speed and agility. As he sped along the pavement, Snake's only focus was on getting far away from the two cops that pursued him and his gang. He no longer could hear the shouting of the officers behind him, so he imagined they were making good progress. At long last, he reached the end of the road, and made a sharp left for the next street, "Thisss way, guysss! Come on!" he shouted over his shoulder as he scurried around the corner.

Snake's eyes fell over his shoulder, and the former track-star's quick feet slowed beneath him as he came to a stop. The skinny green man stood alone in the road, realizing then that neither his friends nor the cops were anywhere in sight. He had been so intent on ditching the officers, he forgot his friends weren't as fast as he. His heart thumped wildly in his chest as he began to fear for the safety of his gang. How far back were they still? They had been running for so long, what if one of them- or worse- what if all of them had fallen behind? If the cops had managed to reach them, what could Snake do? He nervously yanked at his stringy black hair as he realized he would have to turn back for them. He couldn't just abandon them. They were like his brothers, and this was their one shot at being together again- free.

Snake jogged back around from where he just came, and as he rounded the corner of the street, a silver minivan was also making a turn onto the road. Snake stumbled to a stop as the minivan nearly collided with him. The vehicle screeched as it slammed on its breaks to avoid running into Snake. The short young woman behind the wheel wore a look of terror on her face as her eyes fell on the green skinned man in orange. While Snake stared back at her with his own fear in his eyes, the woman began to panic, and she screamed as she struggled to unbuckle her seat belt.

Snake stood aside as he watched the short woman flee from the still running vehicle and run for shelter in a nearby complex. He stood there for a moment in confusion, but as soon as he noticed the keys still in the mini van's ignition, Snake knew that this was his chance. He quickly slithered into the driver's seat, buckled himself in and stepped on the gas.

As he sped back down the road towards the prison, he soon spotted his gang running in the distance. It was clear that his three friends were running severely low on steam, but lucky for them, so were the officers that chased them. The cops were still several yards behind the gang. Snake stepped on the gas once more and drove towards them. As soon as he drew close enough, he slammed on the breaks and yanked hard on the steering wheel and drifted to a stop just before them. He lowered the driver's window and shouted out to his friends, "Come on guysss! Hurry!"

The three made a dash for the minivan as soon as they recognized their friend behind the wheel. They couldn't help but cheer and celebrate as they eagerly jumped into the back. Arturo shut the sliding back door behind him, Grubber climbed up front to the passenger seat, and Billy the giant easily took up the entire backseat by himself. The cyclops parted his shaggy red hair momentarily as he looked around the vehicle, "Where'd Sedusa go?" he blinked dumbly.

" _Man_ ," Arturo grumbled as he buckled himself into his seat, "That _bruja_ tricked us so she could get away on her own!"

"Buckle up, guysss!" Snake shouted as he stepped on the gas once more, and they quickly sped away.

The two officers halted in their chase, and took aim with their pistols. They shot at the tires of the van while it drove off. As the bullets popped off behind them, Billy, Arturo and Grubber cautiously ducked low, and Snake tried his best to weave through the road and dodge the bullets that flew after them. Thankfully, the aim of the officers failed. Their van screeched loudly as it sped around the corner, and for the time being, the gang had managed to make their escape.

* * *

Blossom's pink eyes narrowed on the seven escaped inmates in the distance. They worked together as a team while they tried to hoist one another up over the large tan trunk of the fallen palm tree that blocked their path. As the first convict managed to lift himself up, he suddenly found his feet frozen against the surface of the tree's trunk and unable to move as a dizzying bright pink light zipped around him at top speed.

Blossom blew a steady breath of ice as she circled around the inmates, encasing their black boots in thick cubes of ice and stopping the men in their tracks. A few men who were last in line to climb the obstacle course, quickly retreated for a nearby apartment building. They rushed for the door to the building and had almost made it inside before a bright flash of pink cut in front of them.

Blossom stood in front of the building's entrance with her hands on her hips as she smirked slyly at the remaining three prisoners. They stumbled backwards off the apartment steps, and quickly turned their backs to make another run for it, only as they turned around, the pink Puff was there waiting in their path once more.

Blossom's long ponytail whipped around as she twirled gracefully in the air, and executed three flawless spinning back kicks that struck each of her opponents. Her bright red sneakers hit each man in the center of their chest, and sent them stumbling backwards. Blossom landed delicately back on her feet in a perfectly heroic pose, as she wore a smirk. With her hands poised on her hips and her chin lifted proudly, the redheaded hero watched as the three men fell over onto their backs; their heads bounced against the pavement, and they were knocked out cold.

As Blossom smiled to herself, she heard a collection of shouting from above, accompanied by loud whistles and applause. She looked up and saw that each window to the apartment building was open and crowds of citizens stuck their heads out as they cheered for the young heroine. As her pink eyes fell upon the onlooking fans, a big bright smile swept the teenager's face. Some of them held cameras and phones as they snapped pictures and video of the pink Powerpuff, and Blossom held her pose perfectly so that they could each get their shot of her.

"WAY TO GO!"

"THAT WAS AMAZING!"

"YOU'RE INCREDIBLE!"

"WE LOVE YOU, BLOSSOM!"

As flattering as all the attention was, Blossom still had a job to complete. She paused to give her fans one last smile and wave before she swiftly gathered the seven escaped convicts with one effortless swoop, and shot off back towards the prison.

* * *

Buttercup zig zagged through the air as she left City Square behind her, and began her sweep over the east side of Townsville. Her emerald eyes darted back and forth as she scanned quickly for any orange jumpsuits below. At first, she saw none, but as she ascended higher into the air, she saw down a sloped road ahead of her and spotted three escaped prisoners in the distance. Buttercup flew towards them, and as she drew near, she saw that there were two police officers that chased the group.

"STOP!" the cops shouted after them as they continued their pursuit. As the largest of the three turned his head to look back over his shoulder at the cops, Buttercup suddenly recognized the large green man for who he was and she skittered to a stop in the sky.

It was Big Billy, Grubber and Arturo of the Gangreen Gang. Buttercup hovered in the air as she watched from afar. She felt herself begin to sweat as she felt unsure of what to do. Blossom had ordered her to call if they had found any villains, but... she had promised Arturo earlier that she would help him back to his daughter. Truthfully, with all the chaos of the day, she had almost forgotten about that. Sophia was a good kid, and Buttercup wanted to help Arturo, but with two cops already in pursuit, just how was she supposed to do that?

Buttercup quickly looked around for any sign of her sisters, but she did not see them. Maybe she could figure something out, after all.

She turned back to face the retreating gang in the distance and suddenly spotted a silver minivan speeding towards them. "What the-?" Buttercup raised an eyebrow as she watched the speedy vehicle skid to a stop just ahead of the gang. Her emerald eyes shone bright as she activated her x-ray vision and got herself a clear view of who drove the van- it was Snake. She next watched as Grubber, Billy and Arturo jumped into the back of the van. As soon as they were inside, the minivan sped off once more. The two officers unloaded their weapons upon the fleeing vehicle, and for a moment, Buttercup worried that would be the end of it. However, the cops' firearms ran out of bullets, and Buttercup couldn't help but smirk to herself as she watched the gang successfully make their getaway.

She waited for a few moments to give the officers time below to fully give up on their pursuit, before she zipped off once more, and began a new chase for the Gangreen Gang.

* * *

"Sssomebody needsss to tell me where we're going exactly heresss!" Snake shouted as he kept the steering wheel steady.

"Shit, Man!" Arturo cursed from the back, "I wish I knew just where the hell that alien guy went! He promised me he would take me to Sophia!"

Snake shook his head. "Mansss, I don't think nobody sssurvived that gunfire we sssaw back there-"

"Yah," Big Billy chimed in, "It was like a bajillion fireworks-"

"Nah, Man!" Arturo protested. "You guys don't get it! I'm telling you! _¡Eso que ni qué_ this guy was from another planet! I watched the prison guards shoot off a hundred bullets at this fool, and they just bounced off of him like _nada_! Yo, you all saw how he ripped that cell door off with just his bare strength, right?!"

Grubber turned around in his seat and gave Arturo a short spit.

" _Exactly_ , Man!" Arturo agreed, "He made it look easy! Like poppin' off a cap on a bottle of _cerveza_! No ordinary person can do that shit!"

"Oh Mansss, I hope we ssssurvive thisss sssso we can enjoy a nicccce cold one! It's been ssssso long-"

"Forget that!" Arturo interrupted, "What we need to do is find that alien guy so he can get us to Ace and Sophia!"

Grubber spit from the passenger seat once more.

"Yeah, Grubber'ssss got a point!" Snake said, "How do we know we can trussst sssome alien?!"

"He said he knew Sophia!" Arturo continued to argue with his friends. "And he knew me! Without me even mentioning the fact that I had a daughter! Somehow this guy knew everything!"

"How'sss that possssssible?"

"What if da alien can read minds?!" Billy shouted from the back.

"Yo, and he'sss here from ssspace to collect more ssssubjectsss!"

"You guys are crazy!" Arturo shouted. "Why would he help us all escape if that were true-"

As Arturo argued, he was interrupted by a sudden bump that he and the rest of the gang all felt at once.

"Guysss!" Snake shouted immediately from the driver's seat, "I can't movesss the car no moresss!"

The four men stared collectively out the front windshield and watched the pavement of the road slowly disappear beneath them.

"We're being lifted into the air!" Arturo shouted in disbelief.

"It'sss the alien!"

" _Ahh_!" Big Billy tugged at his red hair as he began to freak out, "We're being abducted!"

As the men inside continued to panic helplessly, their getaway van soared swiftly through the bright blue summer sky. Unknown to them, Buttercup was underneath their vehicle, as she carried it over her head and sped across the east side of the city. They weren't too far from their destination, and the super powered teen could easily reach East Downtown in a matter of seconds.

Still, with no clue of what was taking place, Billy, Arturo, Grubber and Snake stared out the windows in fear as they saw nothing but blue sky and clouds around them. After just several seconds of flying through the air, suddenly they felt a shift in gravity as the van began its descent. As they were lowered back onto the ground, their eyes fell on a simple, small home with a patchy green lawn. There was a loud thud as they landed just outside the brown colored unit, on its cement driveway. As soon as they felt their vehicle make contact with the earth once more, they scrambled to remove their seatbelts and quickly exited the vehicle before it had the chance to take off again without warning.

The four looked up at the sky and searched all around for any clue as to what just happened, but saw nothing.

"Uhhh... where are we?" Billy questioned.

"Yo, what the hell is going on out here?!" a voice shouted from behind them. They turned around, and saw a young guy with shaggy brown hair step out from the front door and out onto the small porch. His eyes fell on the four strangers in orange jumpsuits that stood on the driveway and he looked confused, "Who the hell are you guys?"

Before any of them could answer, their eyes next fell on a tall, slender green man in dark shades who stepped onto the porch next.

"Ty, did you hear that-" Ace stopped mid sentence as his own eyes fell on the four. "...crash?" he completed under his breath as he slowly removed his sunglasses from his face. He rubbed at his clouded eyes, in complete disbelief. " _Holy shit_..." he shook his head as he stepped off the porch and stood there staring at each of them completely in shock. "It's... the gang."

It took them a moment for them each to recognize him, but once they did, Billy, Grubber, Snake and Arturo all shouted at once: " _ACE_!" The four immediately raced for their old friend and within seconds, Ace found himself at the center of their enormous group hug.

"Yo, how the fuck are you all here right now?!" Ace shouted. The grown man felt his voice break a little as he fought against his fast rising sentimental emotions. "We was watching the prison break on the news, and I was wonderin' if you guys was really a part of it, but- how'd you find me?! How'd you get here?! Dudes, what the fuck?!"

"We can hardly believe it ourssselvesss!"

"An alien carried us through da sky!"

"Yo, Man, you have no idea how glad I am to see you!"

As the old gang was reunited, Tyler looked on from the porch of their condo. He had known about Ace's former gang, but he never imagined he'd meet them himself one day. As he watched Ace slowly break down in happy tears while he hugged each of his long lost friends, Tyler began to realize just how much this reunion meant to him. Ace had called them his former family, and he could see for himself then that that was exactly what they were.

"Nino, who are your friends?" little Sophia asked curiously as she joined Tyler on the porch.

As Arturo's eyes fell on the eight-year-old, they immediately began to swell with tears. He felt his mouth go dry as he struggled momentarily to say her name. A part of him feared that when he said it out loud, the magical dream he suddenly found himself in would end, and he'd wake up and find himself still locked away in his cell at the Villains Ward. He hadn't seen his daughter since she was just two years old. Even though he spoke with her on the phone every Sunday since his incarceration, it was still so surreal to hear that tiny soft voice in person for the first time. " _Sophia_..." Arturo finally dared to say her name. " _Dios mio_... you're even more beautiful than I remember..."

The tiny green child's big brown eyes blinked innocently back at Arturo. She did not recognize who he was at all. She looked to her uncle Ace for answers, and he quickly walked back towards her and knelt down beside her. "Sophia," he began softly and with a reassuring smile, "That man right there," he tilted his head in Arturo's direction, "That's your dad, Soph."

Her brown eyes widened as she looked back at Arturo on the driveway. Even though she had no memory of her father being around, Ace had always raised her to respect Arturo as her dad. She only knew him from their short, weekly phone calls. He was always so kind and encouraging, and he reminded her at the end of each call that she was loved. She always secretly prayed that she'd get the chanceto meet him one day, but she never thought those prayers would be answered. Slowly, a wide grin swept across the brace-faced little girl. "DADDY!" she cried out as she ran at the man at full speed and leapt into his arms.

Arturo caught her in his arms and squeezed her with all his might. He could not help but sob loudly from the overwhelming joy he felt as he embraced her then. For the first time in over six years, he held his baby girl in his arms again. And for Arturo, it was the most magical moment he had ever experienced.

* * *

A bright blue ribbon of light looped in and out of the city's tall high rises, as Bubbles swept the west. The usual happy-go-lucky girl's face was squinted in a serious and determined expression for once as she scanned the streets below. Her sisters and herself had been at it for nearly three hours then, rounding up inmate after inmate as they combed the city for more. This was their seventh consecutive sweep, and so far, she had yet to find any more escaped convicts. With the red, summer sun beginning to slowly set over the horizon, Bubbles was thankful for this. Finally, they would be able to expand their search beyond the main city, and soon she would at long last get to Townsville Forest.

As Bubbles looped back around towards City Hall, where Blossom had instructed them to meet after their final sweep, she heard a frail voice shout from below, " _H-help! Somebody, p-please... help_!"

Bubbles turned her head as soon as she heard the voice and zipped quickly down to where it came from. When she landed, she saw that there was a car that had collided with a street fire hydrant. The water that gushed forcefully from the broken red hydrant beat down on the smashed hood of the vehicle. Bubbles could see that the front windshield had been broken, and the car's front axle was bent and twisted out of place. It must have been a pretty hard crash for the driver. With all the mayhem that had just taken place in the streets, Bubbles was surprised there hadn't been more accidents such as this one.

She came to the driver's side of the car and saw an elderly man was still sitting inside behind the wheel. He was slouched in his seat, with his head leaned back against the headrest and Bubbles could see that he was bleeding profusely from his forehead. The blue Powerpuff quickly forced the broken driver's side door open, and helped the old man unbuckle his belt, "Don't worry," she spoke softly, "You're going to be OK now..."

She carefully removed him from the car, scooped him up in her arms and shot off quickly for City Hall. The frail senior citizen shivered slightly as she carried him through the air, and she tried to reassure him again as they flew, "I've got you, Sir. It's OK."

Outside the steps of the capitol and parked along the curb was a row of white painted ambulances. There were several teams of emergency responders there, standing by to treat any injured civilians. As Bubbles arrived, she landed on the steps of City Hall with the injured man in her arms and a nearby team of paramedics rushed over at once to take him from her.

"He was in a car accident," Bubbles explained to the team. She stood aside and watched the emergency technicians carefully lower him onto a stretcher and load him into the back of one of the ambulances. As they fixed an oxygen mask around his face, Bubbles felt her heart ache for the elderly man. He was still shaking, and he looked so scared. She looked on quietly as they shut the back door of the ambulance, and then watched as it pulled away and sped for the hospital down the road. As Bubbles watched the red sirens disappear over the far hill, she prayed quietly to herself that the man would be OK.

"Bubbles," Blossom landed beside her sister. "How was the west?"

Bubbles faced Blossom, "I didn't see any more prisoners."

"Good," Blossom said with a single nod. "Everything was clear on my end, too." As she spoke she looked up and saw a green light approaching from above. Buttercup landed beside her on the steps of the capitol. "Buttercup, how was the east?"

"It's all good now," Buttercup reported.

"Any signs of any of our villains?"

Buttercup and Bubbles shook their heads.

Blossom sighed a little. Her pink eyes traveled over her sisters' heads and fell on the mayor and chief of police who came towards them. She stood up straight. "Mayor," she reported to the politician, "We can confirm that the main city is clear now."

"Girls," Mayor Bellum began as she stood before them, "We cannot thank you enough for all that you've done today."

Blossom blushed a little, "It's no problem, Mayor," she smiled. "We are still having trouble locating the villains that escaped though," her smile turned to a frown.

Mayor Bellum turned to the police chief who held a manila folder in his hands. He handed her the documents and she passed the folder next to Blossom. "Unfortunately, it would seem that there is one more villain to be added to our search efforts."

Blossom blinked back at the mayor for a moment before she opened the manila folder. As she did, each of her sisters stood close beside her and peered at the folder's contents with her. Their eyes fell on a collection of still photographs which looked to be taken from prison security footage. The stills featured a skinny figure dressed all in black who wore an alien faced Halloween mask.

"We've confirmed that this individual was the one behind the prison break and the one responsible for freeing all the villains from the Villains Ward," Bellum spoke as the three continued to stare at the photos within the folder.

Buttercup gulped nervously as Blossom handed her one of the photos to take, before handing the last copy to Bubbles. Buttercup held the still frame of herself from earlier, and pretended to study it just as her sisters studied theirs. She felt her palms grow sweaty as she held the thin paper in her hands. She glanced at Bubbles and Blossom, and wondered what they may be thinking. The pictures weren't the clearest images, and the mask she wore had successfully kept her face hidden. Still, Buttercup silently began to panic as the gravity of what she started at long last began to settle in her mind.

" _Unbelievable_ ," Blossom shook her head as she stared at the masked criminal, "This was all carried out by one person?"

"Yes," the chief of police nodded firmly as he rested his hands on his belt, "We're still interviewing the guards who were on duty today, but," he shook his head, "So far, we've been led to believe that this fella might possess a multitude of supernatural abilities."

Blossom looked up from the photo and blinked back at the chief. "Supernatural abilities?" she repeated with wide eyes. She looked between him and the mayor, "Can I see the footage?"

Bellum nodded, "Yes, of course. We'll be holding a meeting with all our findings first thing tomorrow morning. As soon as our interviews are wrapped up and we have all our evidence collected, we will be reviewing everything so that we can begin our hunt for the person responsible for all of this."

"We have a hunch that this perpetrator might have some sort of vengeful motive against you girls," the chief continued. "It being your all's birthday and whatnot. The fact that they chose to strike today seems oddly personal." He looked at each of the girls, "Any ideas?"

The three teens looked at one another before looking back at the police chief and shaking their heads. "No," they all responded.

Bellum sighed deeply. "I am so sorry that this mess had to happen on your girls' birthday." She frowned at each of them. "The chief and I will be working all night to get to the bottom of this. We will also have our units patrolling every inch of the city and they will be on close lookout for our escaped villains. So if you girls would like to return home now-"

"With all due respect, Mayor," Blossom interrupted, "We wouldn't feel right just leaving the city without first exhausting every effort to find the villains ourselves. Right, girls?"

Bubbles and Buttercup nodded, "Yeah."

"And if the motive behind this attack is truly because of us," Blossom shook her head, "We have a responsibility to make this right."

Mayor Bellum gave the team leader a small smile. "Very well," she began, "You girls do your thing then, but don't push yourselves too hard. You've done well enough already. With our units on patrol, if anything turns up, we will be sure to give you three a call."

Blossom smiled weakly, "Guess we should reinstall the hotline then, huh?"

Bellum smiled back. "Thank you again, girls. We'll meet again in the morning."

As the mayor and police chief departed, Blossom turned to face her sisters. "OK, guys," she began. "With all the villains still missing, it's time to change course. I think for our next sweep we should adopt Bubbles' plan and search for our missing villains at their old hideouts." Blossom scratched her chin a little, "Sedusa will be hard to locate- that chameleon never stayed in one spot for long. But, we know Mojo had his old observatory. I'll check there."

"I can check the forest for Fuzzy!" Bubbles volunteered right away.

"Perfect, Bubbles!" Blossom smiled proudly.

She looked at Buttercup. "Buttercup, I want you to check the dump for the Gangreen Gang."

"Sure," Buttercup shrugged.

"We'll reconvene here in an hour, unless we find anything. And if we do, we call each other for back up, OK?" She paused as she raised the photo in her hands once more, "Also, we gotta be on the lookout for whoever this is. We don't know what to expect from this guy, so if either of you happen to spot him, proceed with extreme caution and again, don't forget to call for backup. Got it?"

Bubbles and Buttercup nodded.

"Alright," Blossom folded the photograph and tucked it safely in her jacket. "Let's go!"

The three took off all at once. As Blossom headed west for the Discovery Dome, Bubbles and Buttercup began to soar north for the forest. While Bubbles zipped through the sky, she was surprised at first to see Buttercup sticking by her side. The tomboy shouted over the wind as they flew, "I'm coming with you to the forest!"

"But Blossom said you should check the dump-"

"That shit's a waste of time!" Buttercup shook her head. "That old shack isn't even there anymore! Besides," she frowned a little, "I said I'd go with you, right? We can check the stupid dump after!"

Bubbles' baby blue eyes watered a little as she smiled at her sibling, "Thanks, Buttercup."

* * *

Townsville Forest sat beneath the mountainside which ran along the northern border of the city. The hike was difficult to manage on foot, and the woods were so dense it was easy to get lost. However, for Fuzzy Lumpkins, his kind had lived in those parts for generations. Although he hadn't been there for years upon years, he still knew the area well and had no issue navigating through the thick forest. It was the place he dreamed of every night when he would lay his head down back in his cell at the Villains Ward. The sweet scent of cedar, the crisp mountain air, and the quiet, trickling streams that wove in and out of the mountainside- the forest had been his home all his life. As he made his long hike up the mountainside, he already felt a great sense of peace just being back in nature. After all that time being locked away in a steel cell, it was good to be back again.

The sun was beginning to set, and it would be dark soon within the hour. His hike took hours on foot. After all, he had built his cabin home deep inside the forest for good reason, and that was to be as far away from the rest of civilization as possible. Peace and quiet, and solitude were what mattered most to him. He could not stand the loud bustling ways of the city. His pa used to tell him about a time before all the highways and factories were built- a time before humans took over. As long as he was left alone in his cabin, Fuzzy could pretend that such a paradise still existed.

Even though Townsville had declared the forest a nature reservation, before it did so, mankind had already done their damage. The forest once stretched as far as the hillsides, but much of it had been cleared to make way for the city's expansion. All that was left were the woods just under the mountains. Fuzzy imagined that if the humans had never arrived then maybe there would still be more of his kin around still that day, and he wouldn't be the last Lumpkin left.

As Fuzzy followed the narrow stream that led up to his old small cottage, his eyes fell on the mud under his feet. He halted for a moment as he looked about the riverbank and noticed many prints left behind in the mud. The experienced tracker knelt down and gently touched the paw print markings. Dogs? No. Wolves? No. _Coyotes_. That was it.

He scratched his chin as he studied the tracks curiously. Coyotes usually traveled alone, or at best in very small packs. However, as he looked around he could see many sets of paw prints. It took some time for the simple-minded beast to count them all, but it seemed that there were at least twenty-three different distinct sets altogether. In all his life in the forest, Fuzzy had never heard of such a thing before. Twenty-three coyotes traveling together? That was a strange thing to imagine. As he thought about this, his ears perked up at the sound of a single howl in the distance.

Fuzzy held his breath as he listened intently to the wild, echoing call. Although he could not tell exactly where it came from as the sound ricocheted off the forest trees, he could tell that the coyote who sang it was not very far. The howl began low and rose higher and higher, like an alarm. That was how the animals of the forest spoke to one another. Wherever this coyote was, it had seen Fuzzy and his call was an alert to the rest of his pack.

There was a still quiet for several moments in the forest after that. Fuzzy continued his hike slowly up the mountainside, and saw that the paw prints in the mud seemed to travel the same path as he. He stopped in his tracks again as suddenly the wild spoke again, and a choir of howls cried out all at once.

The pack had answered their Alpha's call.

Fuzzy quickened his pace. What he'd give to have his old trusty shotgun right then.

As he hurried across the forest, he tried to keep in mind that animals rarely made trouble, so long as you caused them none. It was the unspoken code of the forest, after all. The coyotes that watched him probably just wanted to be sure that he meant them no harm, and soon they would be able to see for themselves that all Fuzzy really wanted was to just get back to his property. Surely once they saw that, they'd leave him be.

His instincts were correct, but what Fuzzy did not realize then was that his old home had become the coyotes' new den. The closer he got to the cabin, the more the coyotes viewed the pink beast as an invading threat. The coyotes had spent years of their lives scavenging the streets of Townsville and fighting to survive. Their den in the forest had been the best thing to ever happen to them, and that evening they banded together to protect it. The pack scattered throughout the woods, and watched the furry yeti draw closer.

As his eyes finally fell on the small wooden cabin, a giant toothy grin swept Fuzzy's face. At long last, he had made it. But his smile soon faded. " _Huh_?" he said out loud as he noticed something off about what he saw. The hand-carved wooden door to his home had been removed. There was a piece of blue plastic there instead. As he saw this, a vicious snarl swept the beast's face, " _Somebody's been messin' with MY PROPERTY!_ "

Fuzzy's mean roar echoed throughout the forest, and the coyotes answered back with their own howls. The furry wild man practically foamed at the mouth from the rage he felt knowing that his home had been violated. Fuzzy began to charge for his cabin with his chest puffed out and big, but he didn't get very far. He had only taken two steps before the first three coyotes struck him from behind and knocked him onto his belly.

As he lifted his face from the dirt and looked up, he saw a single grey coated coyote standing over him. The wild dog's head hung low and his yellow eyes burned brightly as he looked Fuzzy dead in the eyes. The canine's teeth were in a mean snarl as he growled low at Fuzzy.

Fuzzy quickly tried to scramble back onto his feet, but felt a sharp pain on both his ankles strike at once.

He yelped loudly as he turned on his back and kicked at the two coyotes that gripped him by his feet. He struck one hard enough that it retreated quickly in a whimper, but there were only three more coyotes there to take his place. They bit down on his right leg and several more latched onto his left, and together they dragged him backwards through the mud.

Fuzzy lashed out at the coyotes wildly, but as soon as he began to beat at them, more coyotes came for him next. As he flailed his arms, the coyotes took turns making quick rips at his thick furry coat- tearing out chunks of pink fur from his arms and legs. It began with just missing patches of fur, but the more and more the coyotes ripped at him, the deeper their teeth began to sink into his flesh.

As the dogs attacked, there were more that drew in closer and closer in a tight circle around Fuzzy. Whenever Fuzzy managed to beat one off, another came next. Even with his bear-like strength, he was severely outnumbered, and the wild pack of dogs kept him pinned to the ground as they continued to rip at him one by one.

Fuzzy yanked hard on the scruff of one of the dogs, and forcefully tossed him against the trunk of a nearby tree. As the coyote slammed against the bark, he was knocked unconscious. This act only made the rest of the pack angrier. They collectively pounced down on him, and forced him to lay flat on his back against the cold ground.

The grey coated coyote stepped forward from the circle that surrounded Fuzzy and let out a loud, bellowing howl. As his cry echoed throughout the woods, he lowered his head once more and his yellow eyes locked again with Fuzzy's.

Fuzzy was so terrified by the predatory look in the dog's face then that he did not notice the bright blue and green lights that soared over the horizon.

Bubbles gasped loudly as she and Buttercup crossed into the forest and she could see Fuzzy in the distance with her coyotes. "Oh no!" she cried out as they flew towards them, "He is here! He's already fighting the coyotes, Buttercup!"

"Well, we're here now! We'll kick his ass and take him back to jail! It'll be-" Buttercup stopped herself as she began to notice the small puddles of red blood and scattered piles of pink fur that littered the ground.

Bubbles gasped again as they both screeched to a stop just behind the circle of coyotes. Her blue eyes were wide with shock as she watched Victor slowly inch his way towards Fuzzy who was pinned down still by a dozen other dogs. Victor's wire coat stood up sharp and jagged as he growled low and continued to stare down Fuzzy. Bubbles looked at Fuzzy and saw that he was badly bleeding, his orange jumpsuit had been ripped to shreds, and his eyes were wide with fear. Bubbles just couldn't believe it. She had never seen such a mean expression on Victor's face before then, but as he snarled at Fuzzy, Bubbles could see that her friend's primal instincts had taken over him.

" _VICTOR_!" Bubbles cried.

Just as the blue Powerpuff called out, Victor made his strike. The grey coated dog swiftly pounced onto Fuzzy's chest and he sunk his teeth deep into his throat. Fuzzy tried to cry out as Victor attacked, but his vocal chords were already damaged.

Bubbles looked on in horror and found herself frozen in a complete state of shock as she watched her friend tear at the defenseless yeti's neck. Buttercup stood beside her with her jaw agape, but as she witnessed Victor rip away a bloody chunk of meat from Fuzzy's throat she couldn't help but be impressed by the canine's commitment, " _Alright, Victor!_ " Buttercup pumped her fist into the air as she rooted for the coyote.

" _NO_!" Bubbles shouted as she finally snapped out of her stunned state. She immediately shot off as she shouted again, " ** _VICTOR, NO_**!" Bubbles flew at Victor and knocked him away from Fuzzy with a forceful shove. The rest of the coyotes scampered away as soon as Bubbles came upon them.

As Victor stumbled off of him, he turned to face Bubbles still with a chunk of pink fur and meat between his teeth. He spit it out onto the ground and lowered his ears flat as he blinked back at Bubbles. "Bubbles, he was-"

Bubbles interrupted Victor's quiet whimper with a loud howl, "NO!" she cried out in the speech only the coyotes could understand, "THAT'S NOT WHAT YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO DO! THAT'S BAD, VICTOR! VERY BAD! ALL OF YOU! BAD!"

Victor lowered himself closer to the ground as he whimpered again, "But, Bubbles-"

" _NO_!" Bubbles howled again.

As Buttercup watched her sister howl back and forth with the coyotes, she could not understand what her sister was telling them. She could tell though- by the tears that streamed down her face- that Bubbles was completely distraught by what the coyotes had done. Buttercup thought at first that Bubbles would be relieved to see that her mutts could fend for themselves, and that Fuzzy did not hurt them, but this was clearly not the case. Truthfully, Buttercup didn't know if she'd ever seen her sister so upset before in her life.

Buttercup heard a gurgling noise from where Fuzzy lay on the ground. She floated over to him, and as she stood over his body she could see that the gurgling came from his throat as he struggled to speak. He held one hand over his neck as a steady flow of blood seeped between his furry fingers and his eyelids looked as if they were growing heavy.

" _Oh, shit_..." Buttercup muttered to herself as she knelt over him. She had seen that Victor had just torn at him pretty good, but she didn't think he had done that much damage. " _Bubs_ ," she called out as she watched Fuzzy's eyes gradually close, " _Bubs_! Dude, I think we need to get him some help!" As she knelt over him, she saw the arm he had lifted to his throat go limp. As his hand fell away from his neck, a sharp spray of bright red blood spit upward from his vocal chords and struck Buttercup in the face. She responded quickly by cupping her hands over the opening in Fuzzy's throat, and pressing down against the rising fountain of blood. As she kept pressure on the wound she shouted for Bubbles again, " _BUBBLES_!"

Bubbles finally heard Buttercup and quickly zipped over to her side. As she finally began to notice the blood on her sister's face and the state Fuzzy was in, her eyes swelled with more tears, " _Oh my God, oh my God_ ," she squeaked in a panic, "What do we do?!"

"I'll keep the pressure here on his throat! You lift him up!" Buttercup instructed her sister quickly. "Forget jail- we need to get him to the hospital before he croaks!"

Bubbles quickly moved to the other side of Fuzzy's unconscious body, and she carefully hoisted him up into her arms as her sister continued to press down on his neck. Together, they carried him into the air, and shot off back towards the main city.

* * *

Robin sat upon the sofa beside the Professor within the Utonium home's living room. The two of them had been glued to the news on television all day. It was late into the evening already, and neither of them had heard a word from Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup. The only information they had was what the news broadcast covered, and so the two of them sat and watched, and waited. It was all they could do.

The Professor checked his wristwatch for the time and saw that it was nearly ten. His girls had been called to action nearly eight hours ago. Even in their youth- when crime-fighting was an everyday fact of life for them- it was rare to have them gone for so long. Earlier in the afternoon, they were able to catch brief glimpses of the girls in action from the news helicopter's live feed. They watched how the team managed to clean up the streets of City Square, and return a reported 867 escaped inmates back to their cells. However for the last several hours, the footage that the station played was mostly shots from earlier. The action around City Square had long since died down, and the reporters on the scene spent their time interviewing locals on their eye-witness accounts of the prison break.

The news reported that the Powerpuff Girls were patrolling the city, in search of the escaped villains who were still at large. That reported search began several hours ago, and the longer time went on, the more and more both Robin and the Professor feared what may be happening off screen. Two hours prior, the news had broken that Fuzzy Lumpkins was apprehended by them and was in custody, but there hadn't been any updates since.

As the Professor watched his wristwatch's minute arm tick past ten, he sighed deeply and looked to Robin. "It's getting pretty late, Robin. Are you sure you don't need to go home?"

Robin glanced at the Professor, but only for a split moment. Her teal eyes returned to the TV screen as she frowned, "I already told my parents I wouldn't be back home until they're back. They understand."

Professor Utonium smiled weakly. "OK, then." He could see in the young girl's expression that she was worried terribly for her friends. He imagined possibly even as worried as he.

As the news coverage took another commercial break, Robin reached into her pants pocket for her cell phone. She checked it for any messages, but there were none. As she scrolled through the device, she brought up a photo of herself and Blossom. They had taken the selfie together that past Sunday when they spent the day together at the beach. As Robin's teal blue eyes stared at the cherished memory, she felt a sharp pain within her chest. She felt her eyes beginning to water, and she quickly returned her phone to her pocket and forced herself to shake away her fear for the hundredth time.

Just then, there was a click heard at the front door. Both the Professor and Robin jumped to their feet immediately and rushed for the home's entrance. As they came around the corner, they saw that at long last, the girls had returned home.

Blossom held the door open as both Bubbles and Buttercup slowly floated through the entrance. All three looked incredibly exhausted as they shut the door behind them and turned to see Robin and the Professor coming into the hallway. The pair ran at them immediately, and the triplets found themselves instantly smothered by one big, simultaneous embrace.

" _Thank goodness_!" The Professor celebrated as he planted a kiss on each of the tops of their heads, "You've made it home! And you're all safe!" As he stepped away, his eyes fell on Buttercup. The tomboy's face was stained red as well as much of her uniform. Bubbles also had traces of blood on her baby blue jacket. " _Right_?" the Professor asked with concern as he looked between them both.

Bubbles nodded slowly. She looked glum and she squeaked quietly as she answered him, "Yeah, Professor. We're fine."

"Yeah," Buttercup nodded. She saw that the Professor was staring at her blood soaked sleeves with wide eyes, and she added, "It's not ours."

"Thank goodness," he sighed with relief.

Blossom looked to Robin who smiled directly at her. "Robin, you waited here for us the whole time?" Blossom questioned.

"Of course I did, Silly," Robin shook her head, still wearing a grin. She couldn't help it. After spending the entire day worrying over Blossom and her sisters' safety, Robin was beyond relieved to see them back home again. Even though she had just finished hugging all three of them, the brunette felt the need to wrap her arms around Blossom once more. She practically leapt off the ground as she threw her arms around her, "I'm just so glad you're back."

Blossom rested her chin on Robin's shoulder as she returned the embrace. She closed her eyes for a brief moment and cherished the warmth her girlfriend lent to her. "Me too."

"You girls must be starving!" the Professor clapped his hands together. "I'll get some quick dinner started while you three wash up!" he announced as he began to hurry for the kitchen.

"Dibs on the shower first," Buttercup muttered as she began to float down the hallway.

Bubbles followed behind her and sighed quietly, "I'm next."

Robin watched the two slowly float past she and Blossom and her smile faded a little. She looked to Blossom. "What happened to them?"

Blossom shook her head, "We split up to search the old villains' hideouts. Bubbles found Fuzzy in the forest and called Buttercup for back up. Apparently there was a pack of wolves that got to Fuzzy before we could." Blossom shuttered a little, "They really did a number on the sasquatch. Bubbles was pretty shaken up over it."

"Poor, Bubbles," Robin commented as she watched the two reach the second floor. She turned back to Blossom. "But everything else went OK?"

Blossom shrugged. "OK enough, I guess. I mean... we got the prison secured again, and Fuzzy's been caught. He's in critical, but if he manages to pull through, he'll be locked up again," Blossom paused as she frowned, "But... we still have no clue where the rest could be. We looked everywhere we could think of- honestly I really didn't want to stop- but no matter how thoroughly we searched we just couldn't find any of them." Blossom sighed, "A part of me feels like we failed today..."

"You didn't fail," Robin spoke softly, but seriously. She looked Blossom in her eyes as she gave her a reassuring smile, "You guys saved the day."

Blossom blushed, "Thanks, Robin." She paused. "I'm sorry that we had to leave the party so early. After all the work you put into it and everything, I feel terrible-"

"That wasn't your fault," Robin interrupted. She shook her head, "Besides, all that was really left for the party was just the gift opening. All the presents our friends brought are still waiting for you at my house." She paused for a moment as she looked at Blossom, "You wanna help me bring them over? Maybe opening some gifts from her friends will help cheer Bubbles up? We can't have her all depressed on the night of her birthday."

Blossom smiled at Robin. That was her girlfriend- always thinking of others- always trying to make things better. "Sure," she reached for the doorknob and pulled the door open. "Let's go."

* * *

Bubbles quietly floated inside her bedroom, and gently shut the door behind herself. She slowly made her way over to her bed and sat down. She had felt mostly in a daze for the last several hours of the night. She was exhausted- both physically and emotionally- and the blue Powerpuff had barely managed to keep it together up until that point. As she sat on her bed, she felt everything deep within her suddenly rush to the surface at once. She buried her face in her hands, and finally gave into the tears she had been fighting back all night.

Her whole body shook from how hard she cried. At the foot of her bed sat her giant Bunny-Bunny plush doll. The blonde girl took the giant stuffed rabbit in her arms and squeezed it tightly, as she laid on her bed with it and cried. Her hard sobs were muffled as she buried her face within the stuffed animal's plush white chest. As she wept, her mind flashed back to the events of the evening that haunted her- the coyotes' feral growls- Victor's burning yellow eyes- the blood that gushed from Fuzzy neck- the pink fur and flesh between Victor's sharp teeth- her sibling covered in blood- the weight of Fuzzy's unmoving body in her arms and how it grew colder as they carried him... She tightened her arms around her plush rabbit and sobbed even harder.

Never before had the young girl experienced such heart break. After everything she had done, and after all the times she defended the coyotes when nobody else would, Bubbles was beside herself then. Along with the looping memories in her mind, she could hear Dr. Weaver's voice reminding her:

_They're coyotes, not dogs..._

_When it comes to the wild ones, well, they're labeled wild for a reason. And so that's where they belong- the wild..._

_Feral animals are wired in a different way..._

_They're simply... unpredictable._

She cried and cried, and could do nothing else. For fifteen minutes she let it all out until she drained herself of all her tears. She wept for her broken heart, and she wept for the coyotes. She prayed that Fuzzy would be OK, and she wept for him, too. Despite him being the enemy, Bubbles knew that he did not deserve this. Nobody did. How could the coyotes be so cruel? How could Victor be so cruel? If she hadn't been there to witness it herself, she would never believe that he was capable of such ruthlessness.

Slowly, her muffled sobs faded to quiet sniffles, as she forced herself to sit up once more. Bubbles rose from her bed and began to walk across her bedroom for a box of tissues on her desk. She tripped over something on the ground and looked down. One of her paintings lay on the floor and she knelt down to retrieve it. As she took the painted canvas in her hands, she began to notice there were several more scattered at her feet. Normally, she kept her artwork stacked neatly upon her drawing table beneath her bedroom window and she was confused as to how they ended up on the ground.

As she collected the scattered paintings and returned them to their place, she felt a cool breeze and discovered that her bedroom window was open. She blinked at the open window momentarily before shutting it. While she fixed her canvas collection once more, Bubbles listened to the sounds of the shower running in the bathroom across the hall. She wiped away the tears that stained her face with her hands and walked back to her bedroom door.

Bubbles floated quietly down the hall, and looked at the shut bathroom door as she passed it; once again she could hear that Buttercup was still in the shower. She reached the other end of the hall and stopped at Buttercup's closed bedroom door. She paused there for a second before she quietly slipped inside.

Her blue eyes immediately fell on the birdcage that sat upon Buttercup's dresser. Lorenzo and Maria perked up at the sight of the pigtailed girl. "Bubbles!" they chirped excitedly, "You're home!"

"Hi, guys," Bubbles chirped back with a forced, weak smile. "Hey..." she began again, "Can you two tell me... did Buttercup... go anywhere today?"

"Yes, she was gone for a while!" Maria whistled.

"Yes, yes," Lorenzo agreed as he bobbed his head, "She only just returned before you all left again!"

Bubbles frowned a little. She had suspected that her open window might have something to do with her sibling's notorious habit of sneaking out. But what would she be sneaking around for in the middle of the day? She knelt closer to the cage and whistled quietly, "Do you know where she went?"

"No, but she seemed excited to go!" Maria answered.

"Yes, but when she returned, she was acting strangely, wasn't she, my love?" Lorenzo whistled.

"Yes, definitely. Very strange."

Bubbles blinked at the birds, "Strange how?"

"Well, she flew into the room and looked panicked like something had chased her!" Lorenzo answered.

"Yes, and she kept trying to hide something behind that door!" Maria tilted her head towards the other end of the room.

Bubbles stepped away from the birdcage and her blue eyes fell on the shut door to Buttercup's closet. She wasn't usually one for snooping, but... something about the situation felt odd. Slowly, she made her way over to the closet, and reached for the door's handle.

"What are you doing?"

Bubbles whipped around quickly, "Buttercup, nothing! I-I-" she was about to begin her apology when her eyes fell on her sibling. Buttercup stood at the doorway, dressed in her PJs for the night with her hair still dripping wet from the shower. She held her uniform bundled up in her arms, and Bubbles saw that she stared back with her green eyes big and full of panic. As Bubbles followed her sister's fearful gaze to where her hand still rested on the closet door's handle, Bubbles knew then that it was the look of someone who was about to get caught.

"What are you doing?" Buttercup repeated again as she stepped into the room and began to walk towards her sister.

"Where did you go today, Buttercup?" Bubbles asked directly.

Buttercup halted. She gulped a little. "Nowhere-"

"Buttercup, don't lie, OK?" Bubbles frowned. "Maria and Lorenzo told me already that you went out. They also said that when you came back you were acting weird, and that you hid something in your closet... So where did you go today, Buttercup?"

Buttercup stared back at her with her mouth agape. She felt her heart pounding fiercely in her chest as her eyes darted between her sister's suspicious look and her hand still resting on the door to her closet. She tried to think of an answer- another lie- but she was too caught off guard to come up with anything.

Bubbles watched Buttercup clearly panicking before her. She had no idea what could be causing her to act that way, but she felt it necessary to find out. "Buttercup..." she squeaked quietly, "What's in there?"

Buttercup swallowed hard as she stepped cautiously towards her. She met her by the closet door and spoke low, "Bubs, I..." she began with her eyes on her feet, "Bubs... you and Bloss were at your party, and I... I dunno. I was just... bored, I guess. I just... needed some air, and..." Buttercup's voice trailed off as her eyes met Bubbles'. She frowned. "I just wanted to have a little fun on my birthday."

Bubbles stepped aside and watched as Buttercup opened the door to her closet. The tomboy knelt inside and reached with one hand for a pile of laundry on the floor. She picked something up and slowly turned back around to face her.

"Here," Buttercup muttered quietly as she placed something into Bubbles' hands. "Take it. Just... please don't tell the Professor."

Bubbles looked down at the small jar in her hands. She turned it over and realized it was full of marijuana. She frowned as she looked at Buttercup once more. " _Buttercup_ ," she sighed a little, "You have to be more careful. It's one thing for you to sneak out to smoke at night when the Professor's asleep, but in the middle of the day?" She shook her head. "You're just asking to get caught again, you know?"

Buttercup sighed heavily, "Yeah... well, I guess you caught me, huh?"

Bubbles watched as her sister added her uniform to the top of the pile of laundry. She could see that the uniform's sleeves were now stained a deep red. The sight of the blood only reminded Bubbles once more of their time in the forest and she felt sick. As Buttercup shut the door to her closet, Bubbles tried to push the nightmares from her mind once more. "Buttercup," she began quietly, "I don't want to get you in trouble..." She sighed again as she handed the jar of weed back to Buttercup, "Here. Just... find a better hiding spot, OK?"

Buttercup took the jar and gave Bubbles a small smile, "Thanks, Bubs."

Bubbles smiled at Buttercup, but said nothing. She stepped towards her and planted a small peck on her scarred cheek. "Thanks for helping me today."

Buttercup rubbed the spot on her cheek as she watched her sister float out of her bedroom, "Anytime."

Once her sister had left the room, Buttercup's eyes fell on the birdcage on her dresser and narrowed. The two birds blinked back at her with their tiny beaded black eyes. They watched as the skinny teenager turned back to her closet and began to rummage around for something.

"Time for bed, you two," Buttercup said as she approached the birdcage with a dark colored throw blanket. She draped it over the cage, trapping the parakeets in darkness. "Rotten little snitches," she muttered under her breath.

Buttercup's eyes fell on the open doorway to her room, and she saw Blossom ascending the staircase with Robin at her side. The two of them each carried a bundle of gifts in their arms, and they stopped at her door. "Hey, Buttercup," Robin smiled as she stepped into her room, "I was gonna come bring this by after the party, but- well you know," she shrugged a little as she held a wrapped, rectangular shaped gift out to her. "It's from me."

Buttercup took the gift from Robin, "Thanks."

"Is Bubbles still in the shower?" Blossom asked Buttercup from the doorway.

"Yeah," Buttercup shrugged, "She just got in."

"I'll put her gifts in her room for her," Robin smiled as she turned to leave down the hallway, "It will be a nice surprise for her when she gets out."

Buttercup watched as Robin left. She looked down at the wrapped gift in her hands and tore the green paper open. It was a book, which usually wasn't something the green Puff would be excited about. However, on the cover was a photo of her most favorite punk of all time, and a smile instantly swept her face, "Cool," she said to herself as she held the book in her hands, "Joe Strummer."

Blossom stood at the doorway still and watched Buttercup. She was curious to see if her sibling would actually enjoy the gift Robin had gotten for her. She had gone with Robin to the bookstore that day when she purchased it. At the time, Blossom believed Robin's gift to be an odd choice for Buttercup; she never read anything but comics, after all. However once she saw Buttercup's reaction for herself, Blossom realized then that she had been wrong.

"Some birthday, huh?" Blossom leaned up against the frame to the doorway.

Buttercup looked up at Blossom. "Yeah," she muttered as she floated over to her bed and sat down.

Blossom watched her sister flip through the pages of her new book for a few moments before continuing. "I guess it wasn't all bad though, right?"

Buttercup looked up at Blossom once more, "Yeah..." she raised an eyebrow. "I guess not..." She sat aside her book and tried to judge the peculiar smile on her sister's face. "Wait... what do you mean?"

She shrugged as she laughed a little, "I don't know exactly." Blossom flew into the room, and sat her small pile of gifts down at her feet as she sat beside Buttercup. "It just kinda looked like you were having fun out there," she began again. "You know, while you were knocking all those crooks out. Were you?"

Buttercup smirked a little, but she said nothing.

Blossom nudged her with her elbow, "Come on," she grinned. "You can admit it."

"What? Why?" Buttercup smiled slyly. "Did _you_ have fun?"

"Yeah," Blossom smiled, "I... actually did."

Her sister's answer's came quicker than Buttercup expected, and the answer itself was definitely not what she anticipated. The surprise on her face must have been clear to Blossom because she began to laugh a little again.

"I know, I know," Blossom shook her head, "I shouldn't say that. I know that this is serious... It's very serious. The villains are all out and plotting who knows what. I should be worried about what may come next, and who this new masked villain is. I guess a part of me is, but another part of me..." Blossom looked at Buttercup and smiled, "I don't know why, but I just feel... weirdly excited."

Buttercup blinked back at Blossom for a moment, before she slowly nodded. "Yeah..." a small smile crossed her face again, "Me too."

"Well," Blossom began again as she rose to her feet. She collected her gifts once more as she turned to leave, "I have to put this stuff away." She paused at the doorway. "Say, tomorrow the mayor and the police are having that meeting about the break in... Did you want to maybe come with me?"

Buttercup nodded, "Yeah, I guess I can."

Blossom smiled, "Again, I know I shouldn't say this, but... Personally, I can't wait to catch this bastard."

Buttercup watched as Blossom's eyes narrowed with determination as she spoke. Her gaze was focused off in the distance as if she was picturing something in her mind then. Whatever she was imagining, it caused Blossom to smile in a mischievous sort of way. The look caused Buttercup to feel suddenly on edge. After all, the bastard her sister wanted to catch was her. She had known Blossom all her life, and one thing she knew about her was that whenever she set her mind to something, Blossom was always determined to see it through.

"Yeah," Buttercup finally answered back as she forced herself to smile once more. "Me too."

* * *

_A/N:_ I figured I should start doing this for some of Arturo's dialogue...

Quick spanish translations:

vamanos - let's go

bruja - witch

eso que ni qué - a saying similar to "no doubt" or "it goes without saying"

nada - nothing

cerveza - beer

Dios mio - Oh my God


	10. Humiliate.  Torture.  Destroy.

---  
  
**Villain: Redux**

By: Yay Ninja Bob

**Part II: Hate & War **

****

**Chapter 10**

**Humiliate. Torture. Destroy.**

It took two veterinary assistants to help hold the hyper young chimpanzee still on the scale as they tried to get an accurate reading. As they held onto him, the small primate bounced excitedly as he watched a short woman in glasses draw near. "Let's see here," the veterinarian peered at the numbers on the scale as she adjusted her eyeglasses, "Twenty-eight pounds, and four ounces-" she stopped as a pair of tiny hairy hands grabbed for the glasses on her face.

The thick lenses reflected a sparkle of light from the lighting above the exam table, and the curious chimp could not help but immediately reach for it. He snatched the pair of glasses off her face, and made a quick leap for the counter space across the room. He bounced excitedly once more as he held the glasses above his head and watched the light reflect off the lenses with wide curious eyes. The two veterinary assistants came towards him and tried to retrieve the glasses from their mischievous patient, however he was too quick for them. They chased him about the small exam room as he happily played keep away with them both.

"I see what you meant by 'copious amounts of energy,' Professor," Dr. Weaver chuckled a little as her assistants continued to struggle to retrieve her stolen glasses.

While the veterinarian seemed amused by the young chimp's antics, Professor Utonium sat in the corner of the exam room with his face red from embarrassment. He sighed heavily as he watched his "lab assistant" taunt the veterinary staff from the top of a tall shelf, still grasping the pair of glasses in his hands. "Jojo, please," the Professor began as he rose to his feet and walked over to him next. "That's enough, Jojo."

Upon hearing his owner's voice, the toddler-like chimp leapt from his spot on the high shelf and landed swiftly upon the back of the Professor, looping his long arms around the scientist's shoulders. Professor Utonium quickly retrieved the pair of glasses from young Jojo's grasp. He grunted with small protests in the Professor's ear as he watched him hand the item back to Dr. Weaver. While the vet returned her eyewear to her face, the little chimp seemed to grow impatient as his tiny grunts grew louder in the Professor's ear.

"No, Jojo," Professor Utonium struggled to pry the primate from his back as he lectured, "You cannot just take things that are not yours."

Jojo pulled at the Professor's white lab coat as he fell onto the tiled floor and stomped his feet angrily in a bit of a tantrum.

Professor Utonium reached into his lab coat and fished around for something as he shook his head and frowned, "Alright, here then," he paused as he retrieved a multi-colored Rubik's cube from his pocket, "Play with this for now."

Jojo stopped as soon as his eyes fell on the brightly colored puzzle and he snatched it immediately from the Professor. The tiny chimp remained curiously focused on the plastic toy as the Professor picked him back up and sat him on the exam table once more.

"I am so sorry for all of this," Professor Utonium frowned as he looked to Dr. Weaver.

"No need to apologize, Professor," Dr. Weaver responded with a polite smile. She reapproached the exam table and fixed her stethoscope around her ears. While Jojo was distracted by his puzzle toy, she continued her examination of him. "So, you mentioned you've had him for close to a full year now?"

"Yes," Professor Utonium answered with an exhausted sigh as he sat back down in his seat at the corner of the room, "Just about."

"A chimpanzee is not a common pet, Professor," Dr. Weaver continued as she retrieved Jojo's patient record from her assistant. "May I ask how you acquired him?"

"Well, you see, the research facility I worked at was closed last summer. Many of us had to move our work to home, and an associate of mine who worked with Jojo here had some difficulty taking him with him, and so I volunteered to take him."

"I see," Dr. Weaver smiled again as she continued to observe the small chimp work quickly with the puzzle in his hands.

"I imagined that I could train him as a new lab assistant of sorts- since the state cutbacks, I haven't been able to afford one any longer- however, in the last year, I'm afraid we haven't made much progress." As the Professor finished his statement, Jojo began to chatter excitedly from where he sat on the exam table. The small primate had completed the puzzle and looked to the Professor with an eager expression as he held his hand out for something. The Professor reached into his lab coat again and handed Jojo a large peanut butter cookie in exchange for the finished Rubik's cube.

"Very impressive, Jojo," Dr. Weaver smiled as she watched the young primate chew down on his earned treat. She glanced at the Professor, "What leads you to believe that the little guy isn't progressing well enough?"

"Well, of course I knew it would take some time for him to learn how to behave, but he's three now, and well, even though he is very bright, he can also be-" Professor stopped mid sentence as his eyes fell on Jojo's hand that inched closer to Dr. Weaver's eyeglasses once more. "Jojo, stop it," Professor Utonium said as he rose from his seat once more and reached for Jojo's hand, stopping him from grabbing the eyewear again. "You see, I can't seem to leave him alone for more than fifteen minutes without him destroying everything in sight," the Professor frowned. "The other day I tried to run a few quick errands without him, and when I came home it looked as if a tornado had torn through the entire house!"

"Well, that's completely natural. Infant chimpanzees are used to twenty-four hour attention from their mothers. So yes, you leaving him all alone at home for any length of time is bound to cause him some distress."

"Infant?" Professor Utonium repeated the word with confusion, "But he's three."

"He is still just a baby chimp, Professor. In the wild, they aren't fully weaned from their mothers until about four or five years old."

"Five years old?" the Professor's eyes widened. He frowned a little, "I had no idea it would take that long for him to fully mature. So he won't begin to settle down until then?"

"Well, if you mean fully mature, that won't be for quite some time still, Professor," Dr. Weaver replied with a light hearted chuckle. "Independence won't come until puberty, and with the males that won't begin until at least about seven years of age. Perhaps closer to ten, if he's a late bloomer."

"I see," Professor Utonium stepped back as he scratched his chin a little and watched Jojo closely. The black coated chimp continued to chomp away at his cookie treat. He curiously blinked back at the Professor as he stared at him.

"As for 'the settling down,' well, that will depend mostly on you, Professor," Dr. Weaver continued. "As he matures, he will eventually become more self-sufficient, sure, but his environment and upbringing is what will ultimately shape his personality. If you're going to care for and raise this young chimp, you will need to devote more time and attention to him. Much like human children, they learn in a social context- by watching and imitating what the adults in their life do. It's important that you give him the care he needs now and address these bouts of misbehavior while he is still young. The temper tantrums are cute at this age, but an adult male chimp possesses five times the strength of a human."

Jojo finished his cookie and was once again fascinated by the glint of the veterinarian's glasses. With one quick swipe, he snatched the eyewear from her face and quickly leapt from the exam table.

Professor Utonium caught the flying primate mid-leap by his hind leg. As he dangled Jojo in the air by his back leg, the little chimp only hooted with amusement as the scientist tried to wrestle the eyeglasses from his tiny tight grasp. "You don't say?" Professor muttered under his breath as he managed to yank away the eyewear at last.

"Jojo appears to be a very healthy, young chimp, Professor. You should be proud of that," the veterinarian gave him an encouraging smile as he returned her glasses to her. "Before my practice, I worked at Townsville Zoo for some time. I know from experience that this last year must have been quite the challenge for you both."

Professor Utonium smiled weakly, "A challenge is one way to put it." He held Jojo in one arm as he used his free hand to keep the chimp from snatching another cookie from his lab coat pocket. "You say you worked for the zoo? You wouldn't suppose they might have room for Jojo there, would they? Sometimes I wonder if the little guy would be happier with his own kind."

Dr. Weaver watched the scientist struggle with Jojo for several moments. The tiny primate's nostrils flared as he puffed and pouted and fought for another cookie. Eventually, Professor Utonium surrendered and allowed Jojo to help himself to the treats he kept in his pocket.

"Well," Dr. Weaver cleared her throat a little before beginning, "The zoo does not usually accept ex-pets, unfortunately. You see, a chimp raised by humans will not fit in well with the others. Jojo will lack all the social skills he would have picked up from other primates by this point. Honestly, a young thing like him might get ripped to shreds."

Professor Utonium frowned a little, "I see... Well," he sighed. "I suppose we'll just have to keep trying then. Won't we, Jojo?"

Jojo looked up to the Professor, and held a cookie up for him to take.

Professor smiled weakly as he took the treat from him, "Thanks, Jojo." He looked to the veterinarian. "Thanks for your help."

"Good luck, Professor."

* * *

Mojo sat on a purple cushioned armchair and held a white and gold porcelain teacup and matching saucer between his hands. The warm beverage's sweet aroma slowly drifted upward and teased his nostrils. Truthfully, a warm cup of tea was something he had missed terribly while he was locked up at the Villains Ward. However, there was a strange feeling in his gut that kept him from freely enjoying it. He glanced to the seat beside him where Princess sat. She held her own cup to her lips as she delicately sipped. Only after seeing this did Mojo feel safe to do the same. Slowly, he raised the tea to his lips and sipped. He would never admit this to Princess, but it was the most magnificent cup of tea he had ever tasted.

"Alfred?" Princess called out, and within moments her faithful servant was at her side. "Would you turn on the TV for us? I'd like to see if the news is reporting anything about our little victory today."

"Of course, Miss," Alfred responded with a nod. He stepped in front of Princess and held out one hand, "First, of course..."

Princess blinked up at him for a moment, before giving a small laugh, "Right. Of course."

Mojo watched curiously from behind his cup of tea as Princess reached behind her and suddenly produced two small, golden-plated pistols. She handed them off to her butler, who took them and turned to leave, "I will return shortly with the remote then."

Princess watched Alfred disappear down the corridor before she turned to face Mojo again. The green faced chimp looked at her with a raised eyebrow, and Princess once again laughed off the situation. "Oh that?" she placed a hand to her lips as she giggled. "Just a silly rule. 'All firearms must be locked up before TV time.' It's silly, isn't it?"

Mojo did not answer her, but continued to stare at the girl with a curious expression. He hadn't known Princess too well before, but from what he remembered he doubted the spoiled girl had ever had any rules in place for her. 'All firearms must be locked up before TV time.' Mojo imagined that she must have done something pretty significant to warrant a rule like that.

"Oh, you've finished your tea already?" Princess remarked, "I'll have Alfred bring you more." She paused to inhale deeply before shouting loudly over her shoulder, " _ALFRED! MORE TEA!_ " As her command echoed throughout the mansion, she turned back to Mojo and gave him an innocent smile, "He'll hear me."

"I was not doubting it," Mojo muttered under his breath.

"What was that?"

"Hmm?" Mojo hadn't realized he vocalized his thoughts out loud. "Oh, I was merely saying 'thank you,'" he forced a smile, "Yes, more tea would be greatly appreciated."

Princess smiled, "You are very welcome." The short girl kicked her feet from where they dangled off the purple cushioned loveseat as she took another sip of tea. "You know, Mojo," she continued as she delicately balanced her teacup on its saucer once more, "I meant it earlier when I said it was nice to see you again." She looked at him and for a moment Mojo swore he saw the slightest frown briefly sweep the girl's face, "Things haven't been the same since that stupid Villains Ward was built, you know?"

"I suppose that is why you finally decided to blow it up then?"

"Blow it up?"

"Well, not you, yourself, but your... what would you call him?" Mojo sat his empty cup of tea down on a small table beside him and crossed his arms as his eyes narrowed slightly on Princess. "Your contract kidnapper?"

Princess smirked from behind her cup of tea, "My lackey?"

"Fine. Your _lackey_ ," Mojo repeated the word with a huff, "Yes, I was minding my own business- very important business at that- crucial work- tactical planning which required my utmost concentration- when suddenly my entire cell was rocked by a shaking in the earth so forceful I believed it to be at last the long awaited, legendary Big Quake. But no, it was your lackey who blew the door right off my cell, ruining my latest evil scheme in the process."

Princess sat up in her seat, "But now you're here." She leaned towards Mojo and smiled, "And now you can help me with my latest evil scheme!"

Mojo Jojo rolled his eyes. There it was. " _Your_ evil scheme?" he repeated. "And that would be...?"

Princess sat back in her seat and raised her teacup to her lips once more. "To destroy the Powerpuff Girls, duh," she answered with a sly smirk before taking a small sip. As she rested her cup on its saucer, she looked to Mojo and saw that he held one hand cupped over his mouth. As she looked at him, the short simian could not hold back any longer.

He burst into uncontrollable laughter, " _You_? _Destroy the Powerpuff Girls_?" he roared as he held onto his sides.

Princess sat her teacup aside and her eyes narrowed on Mojo as he continued to laugh in her face. The redhead rose to her feet and her immediate reaction was to reach for the weapons she normally kept ready at her waist, but she realized there was nothing there. Princess clenched her fists and shouted at Mojo. "What are you laughing for?!" she demanded. "I _will_ destroy the Powerpuff Girls!"

Mojo's hysterical fit only continued as Princess stood before him. Her freckled cheeks grew red from the anger that built up inside of her. Through gritted teeth she continued, "I _will_ do it! I have a plan!"

"A plan!" Mojo repeated with more maniacal laughter, "And it is an _evil_ one you say?"

"Yes! Very evil!" Princess stomped her feet as she shouted, but it was no use. Mojo's cackling was so loud then, it echoed throughout the grand corridors of the manor and even she could not shout above it.

Princess stood before Mojo with her hands crossed across her chest. She continued to grind her teeth in frustration and anger as she waited for the villain's loud laughter to stop. It wasn't until Alfred returned with a tray of cookies and tea when Mojo finally began to settle. Alfred handed a fresh cup of tea to Mojo and he took it, wiping a tear from his eye as he chuckled lightly.

"Are you done yet?" Princess glared at Mojo while he sipped from his teacup.

Mojo finally noticed the death stare the redhead gave him. He cleared his throat a little as he forced his laughter back down at last. "Forgive me, Princess, if I am assuming too much, but," he began a little more seriously. "I suppose step one of this evil plan of yours was to free me from the Villains Ward?"

"That's right," Princess' eyes were still narrowed on him.

"And you hired your _lackey_ to do that for you?"

" _Yes_ ," Princess answered through gritted teeth.

Mojo sipped from his teacup before continuing, "So," he sat his cup on its saucer dish, "Step one: Hire somebody to free Mojo Jojo. Step two: Hire Mojo Jojo..." he smirked a little. "So far, I fail to see what role you have to play yourself in any of this. As somebody who claims to want to be the one to destroy the Powerpuff Girls, tell me: Will your victory against them be at your own hands, or mine, or your lackey's or perhaps someone else's entirely?"

"Mine of course!" Princess stomped her feet again.

"And how will you do it?"

"With the blaster rays you build for me!"

"Hmm," Mojo scratched his chin, "That is peculiar. That is to say, it is very strange for you to mention blaster ray guns. The reason for why it is so odd is that I could have sworn that I already designed a pair for you in the past-"

"Yes, but they took them from me!" Princess pulled at her hair as she stomped her feet once more. Alfred stood behind her, dutifully waiting with the TV remote control in hand. She snatched it from him and switched on an enormous flat screen television set behind them.

A live news broadcast of the ongoing prison break was projected on the screen. The aerial coverage was a wide shot of City Square where hundreds of orange jumpsuited men crowded the streets. The inmates pushed and shoved one another as they fought to evade capture from the bright neon pink, blue and green streaks of light that swooped down upon them.

As Princess watched the multicolored beams of light whip across the television screen, the growing rage inside her finally broke through as she screamed, " _THEM! THOSE STUPID SUPERPOWERED BIGHEADED BITCHES_!"

Both Mojo and Alfred had to physically duck as the teenager whipped around and hurled the television remote in her hands across the room. Mojo could not see where it ultimately landed but he heard a crash in the far distance as something broke. He watched Princess with wide eyes as she continued her rampage.

" _THOSE FUCKING POWERPUFFS WHO THINK THEY ARE SOOO MUCH BETTER THAN EVERYONE ELSE!_ " Princess continued to scream as she grabbed a nearby flower arrangement next and set it flying across the room. " _NOOO WAY THEY COULD EVER HAVE ANYBODY ELSE WITH ANY SORT OF POWER THAT MIGHT MATCH THEIRS_!" She found another vase and threw that next. " _THOSE DO-GOODERS THINK THEY OWN THIS CITY AND HAVE EVERYONE FUCKING BRAINWASHED! IT'S NOT FAIR_!"

Princess forcefully kicked over the coffee table which held the tray of treats Alfred had just delivered. The porcelain tea set crashed against the floor, and instantly shattered. The hot liquid stung her ankles a little as it splashed against the marble floor at her feet. The sudden quick burn was enough to finally snap the wild redhead out of her enraged state. She stood over the broken pieces of fine china and felt the pressure finally begin to subside slowly from her head. She breathed heavy as she clenched her fists and shook, "They took them from me... They took my blasters... They took..." Princess stopped as she forced herself to take a deep breath.

Mojo watched as the short girl stood silent for several moments, physically shaking with her settling rage. Slowly, she turned to face Mojo. In the midst of her fit, she had managed to undo her previously perfect pinned up hairdo, and her red ringlets were now disheveled and in her face. As she straightened her posture and drew another deep breath, she swept the hair from her eyes and looked at Mojo once more.

"They took my blaster rays from me, Mojo," Princess said with a sudden calmness in her voice. "And now I want _you_ to make me new ones." She raised her chin and placed her hands on her hips as she continued with business, "In exchange for two new blaster ray guns, I will give you your freedom. That would include a one-way ticket to any destination of your choosing, and one large sum of cash to take with you."

Mojo raised an eyebrow. "How much cash would that be?"

"Name your price." The teenager held an unwavering stare.

Mojo studied Princess for a moment. Her little tantrum had certainly caught him off-guard, but what really surprised him was how she behaved then. She stood before him with her hands on her hips and her gaze unblinking as she waited for his answer. Her expression was serious- far more serious than he ever imagined was possible for the spoiled brat. She was determined- that much was clear to him. Mojo wondered what she might do if he refused. His eyes traveled to the broken tea set on the ground, and noticed the bright red marks the scolding tea had left on Princess's ankles.

"Well?" Princess stepped closer to Mojo and crossed her arms. "How much?"

Mojo looked up at Princess. He still did not wish to do the heiress any favors, but it was not as if he had much of a choice then. At least he might get something out of it, and if Princess managed to destroy the Powerpuff Girls, it would still be ultimately at the hands of his own brilliant technology.

"Very well," Mojo cleared his throat, "I want five hundred million dollars."

A devious smile swept her face as Princess held her right hand out for Mojo. He reached for her hand and took it. The girl's grasp was firm as they shook.

"Deal."

* * *

Daylight began to slip through the small opening of the drawn curtains to Buttercup's bedroom window. The green-eyed teenager had been staring at the same spot on the ceiling above her bed for the entirety of the night. Try as she might, she had been unable to get any sleep. To her right, there was the repetitive tiny chirping from her new feathered roommates. To her left, Bubbles snored softly in her ear as she slept peacefully beside her. The tall blonde was wrapped fully in her sibling's green colored comforter, and left only a small portion for Buttercup throughout the night. There was hardly enough room for the two of them on her twin sized mattress, but Buttercup couldn't say no to her sister's tearful blue eyes when she said she had woken from a nightmare and begged to spend the night with her. Bubbles didn't mention what the nightmares were about, but Buttercup imagined they had something to do with what had happened the day before. In her sleep, the blue Puff occasionally made the smallest of whimpers as she nestled up beside her. To Buttercup, the noise she made sounded like a sad, wounded puppy dog.

It wasn't until the sunlight crept in and illuminated the fist sized patchy, uneven spot on the ceiling, that Buttercup realized it was already the next day. The mark she had been focused on was left behind by she and Blossom during a fight they had many years ago. They had to be just about eight or nine then. Buttercup could remember that she had intended to throw a fast uppercut against Blossom's jaw, only she moved just as she swung upward and her fist broke through the ceiling instead. Buttercup also remembered that that particular brawl between them had left so many holes in the walls of their room that day, the Professor hired a team of contractors to fix it all. He asked them to section off their previously shared room into three, believing that separate bedrooms might stop the fighting between her and Blossom. It didn't stop them from fighting again, but Buttercup remembered how happy Blossom seemed to be when they learned they would each be getting their own rooms. Even though she poured over the distant memory countless times that night, Buttercup still could not remember exactly what it was that started that fight that day. As she stared at the spot on her ceiling, it bugged her all night long.

The tomboy's nagging thoughts were interrupted by the muffled, rapid beeping noise of Blossom's alarm clock in the next room over. She sat up in her bed a little, and her emerald eyes shone as she switched on her x-ray vision. Blossom's bed sat along their shared bedroom wall, and on the other side, Buttercup could see her sister spring up in bed just as soon as her alarm clock sounded. She reached for her nightstand and promptly shut off her digital pink alarm clock. There was an eager smile on her sister's face as she slipped on her furry pink slippers and hurried immediately for her bedroom door.

Buttercup shut off her x-ray vision and soon heard a gentle knocking on her door. Bubbles still lay beside her in bed, and as Buttercup tried to get up she felt a slight tug on her arm as Bubbles still clung to her in her sleep. The raven haired teen gently pulled away and the sleepy blonde grabbed her sibling's pillow to cuddle with next instead. Buttercup floated over to her bedroom door and opened it.

"You are up," Blossom wore a surprised smile. "So you still wanted to come to the meeting with the mayor then?"

Buttercup blinked at Blossom for a moment, forgetting momentarily what she was referring to. "...Yeah," she responded finally after a long pause. "Yeah, I'll come. Sure."

Blossom's pink eyes drifted beyond Buttercup and softened a little as they landed on Bubbles in bed. "Did she spend the night here with you?"

Buttercup nodded, "She said she was having nightmares. I think about the whole Fuzzy thing." Buttercup explained through a tired yawn as she stretched a little. "Shit, it's kinda hard for me to get it out of my mind, and you know how big a baby she is with the littlest stuff- we should probably just let her sleep in today, you know?"

Blossom wore a frown as she peered over Buttercup's shoulder and looked at her sleeping sister. "Oh, I see." Blossom felt the slightest sting as she wondered why Bubbles would turn to Buttercup for comfort before her, but it faded soon after. "Wait," Blossom paused as she looked at Buttercup. "It's hard for you to get out of your mind too? I thought you had said you weren't there?"

"Huh?"

"Yesterday, you and Bubbles said that you got there after she called you for backup, and that while she waited for you, the wolves attacked Fuzzy." Blossom raised an eyebrow, "So did you get there before or after the wolves attacked?"

Buttercup stared at Blossom for a moment. "I... I got there when- Look, I dunno, Blossom! I got there when I got there, OK? Why does it matter? It all happened so fast! All I know is that there was a lot of blood shootin' up from his neck, and I tried to stop it, and Bubbles was freakin' out, and-"

"OK," Blossom interrupted her, "OK. No need to get so defensive... I was just trying to understand what happened," Blossom frowned as she looked her up and down. "Look, I know just from the amount of blood you were covered in yesterday that whatever happened was... obviously traumatic. You sure you don't need a day off today? I can just take notes at the briefing if you-"

"No, no," Buttercup interrupted next. "I want to go."

Blossom studied Buttercup for another moment before she gave her another small smile. "OK then. I'll make us some coffee and meet you downstairs in twenty, 'kay? The meeting is supposed to start at six sharp."

Buttercup nodded, "OK."

There was a sickening knot forming fast in Buttercup's stomach as she watched her sister descend down the stairway outside her bedroom door. Blossom's easy catch of her previous white lie had her immediately on edge. Even though that cover up was for Bubbles' sake so that Blossom would not have to know about her secret coyote pack, that accidental slip up was a fast reminder to Buttercup of how meticulous Blossom naturally was.

While she didn't truly want to attend the briefing that morning, Buttercup knew that she could not afford to not be there. They were supposed to go over all the evidence they had on the prison break, and Buttercup had to be there to know exactly what that evidence was. Most importantly, she had to be there so that she could know what Blossom would be piecing together, and somehow... she'd have to figure out a way to stay one step ahead of her.

Buttercup clenched her side as she leaned up against her bedroom door and tried to brace herself for the day ahead. It was going to be a rough one.

* * *

There was a lot that could happen over a course of six years, and Mojo felt as if he was only beginning to scratch the very surface of his research as the morning summer sun began to rise. Although the mutant chimpanzee had been locked in his guest room for the night, it wasn't as if a simple door lock could stop him from venturing out once everyone else was asleep. There were far too many questions on his mind that needed to be answered, and Mojo could not rest until he found those answers.

After trying many doors within the manor, he managed to find an office suite with a computer. He imagined the large work space belonged to Princess's father. Mojo had quickly gone through every drawer of every filing cabinet there and discovered it was all mainly architectural blueprints pertaining to the businessman's construction company. Nothing seemed particularly interesting. However, when Mojo stumbled across a folder labeled "Discovery Dome," that quickly became the new focus of his night-long investigation.

Learning that his home had been destroyed during his absence was one thing, but when Mojo Jojo learned that his former evil lair had been converted into a marketing attraction for the masses- a Powerpuff themed one at that- it was almost too much for him to fully process at first. Even as he held the architectural designs of his volcano top observatory's drastic renovations in his hands, he just could not bring himself to accept it.

Denial argued against reason still even as he began to scour the Internet for more information on the matter. That night, he combed through hundreds of articles concerning the Discovery Dome and its history. While his true aim was to find out whoever was the one responsible for this careless injustice so that he could be sure to add them to his mental hit-list, Mojo was caught off guard by the abundance of gossip columns that centered around one particular event at the children's science museum. It was not long before he found himself lost in a sea of salacious rumors.

It took some digging, but eventually Mojo was able to find some apparent archival footage of the museum's grand opening. As Mojo waited for the video to buffer, his eyes fell on the stacks of blueprints he had scattered about on the massive mahogany work desk. Throughout the night, Mojo only used a small desk lamp for a small reading light. It was enough light to see what he was doing, but it hadn't been bright enough for Mojo to catch one particularly curious detail. Now that it was daylight though, he could finally see what he had previously overlooked.

There was a faint, reddish tint to the blue prints that lay upon the desk. Mojo took one in his hands and turned in the swivel desk chair so that he could hold it up directly against the light that shone through the window behind him. As the light shone through the thin blue paper, the red stains that seemed to splatter across the architectural designs showed themselves. Mojo could not be sure, but to him, it looked an awful lot like blood.

" _And now, the moment you've all been waiting for... the Powerpuff Girls_!"

Mojo turned back around so that he faced the computer screen once more. The video of the premiere had begun to play, and Mojo sat aside the blueprint as he focused on the raw footage once more. Professor Utonium stood upon a grand stage with a brightly colored blue, pink and green backdrop as he addressed a massive crowd of people. The scientist was dressed in his traditional white lab coat and stood behind a podium with a cheesy grin on his face as he spoke into the microphone, " _The commander and leader of the Powerpuff Girls- Blossom_!"

Mojo watched as the pink Powerpuff walked across the stage. The redheaded girl was supposed to be just thirteen at the time of the event, however as she stood upon the stage beside Professor Utonium, Mojo noted that she was almost as tall as him. The crowd at the event roared loudly for the super heroine and Mojo quickly lowered the video's volume as he physically cringed from the enthusiastic response.

" _The joy and the laughter- Bubbles_!"

Mojo rolled his eyes as Professor Utonium made his next announcement. It took a full minute for the pigtailed girl to find her way onto the stage. The blue Powerpuff was also greeted by thunderous applause and cheers from the audience. As Bubbles waved to her fans from the stage as she girlishly giggled, Mojo could tell that, at least at the time of the video, the young girl hadn't changed much.

" _And lastly, our toughest fighter- Buttercup_!"

Mojo's eyes widened as they fell upon the skinny framed teenager that stepped out onto the stage next. The short simian quickly reached for the computer mouse and paused the video as the camera shot focused on the green Powerpuff. As he stared at the screen with his jaw agape, he found the sight to be just as shocking as the video's description had claimed it would be. The thirteen-year-old had a dark colored 'v' shaped mark branded across the right side of her face. As Mojo traced the gruesome disfigurement that stretched across her right eye, he noted that her green eyes looked unnervingly empty as she blankly stared out into the audience before her.

" _What on Earth happened to you_?" Mojo breathed out loud to himself as he stared at the frozen image on the screen with intense curiosity.

"What the _fuck_ are you doing in my office?"

Mojo looked up from the computer monitor and saw that Princess stood at the doorway to the office with a rather mean scowl on her face. The redhead had her hair pinned up in her traditional two poof buns, and she wore a similar attire as she did the day before- a mustard yellow turtleneck, dark purple dress slacks, and black heeled boots. He noticed a pair of reading glasses rested on her forehead and she held a stack of folders in one arm and a bundle of neatly rolled blueprints in her other. " _Your_ office?" Mojo repeated back to her. "I thought this was your father's office-"

"No, it's _mine_!" Princess shouted as she stepped into the room and the door snapped shut behind her. "What _the fuck_ have you been doing in here?!" she shouted in disbelief as she looked about the room and saw the mess Mojo had managed to make. The filing cabinets that lined the walls of the office had all clearly been searched through, and drawers were left open or missing altogether. The royal blue and red carpeted floor was completely littered with scattered documents and paper. Every inch of her desk was covered completely by a disorganized collection of blueprints. It was astonishing to her that anyone could go through so much in just one night, but her stunned state did not last for long. Princess's dark brown eyes narrowed on the monkey that sat behind her desk, " _GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE_!"

The teenager's temper had clearly been ignited, but Mojo was still too distracted by what he had discovered in the video to really care. He ignored her demand and instead returned his attention to the computer screen. " _Yes, yes_ ," he waved his hand at her, "I will be out of here soon enough. First, I must get to the bottom of this. There is no way I can depart until I have discovered what the story is behind this deformity. I did not think such mutilation was possible! To physically and permanently damage a super powered Powerpuff in such a way... I must know what it is that did it! I must know what happened-"

"What?" Princess blinked back at Mojo from across the desk. His rambling was fast and she noticed a strange glint in his eyes as he studied the computer screen. To her, he looked absolutely crazy. "Just what the fuck are you rambling about, Monkey Man?"

Mojo turned the computer monitor so that Princess could see the still frame of thirteen-year-old Buttercup's scarred face.

"Oh," Princess rolled her eyes a little. " _That_."

"Yes. _That_. What is _that_?" Mojo flipped the monitor once more so that it faced him again. He sat up in the desk chair and began to type on the keyboard, "What caused that?! I want to know what happened!"

"Huh," Princess gave a short laugh. "You and everyone else in the world."

Mojo halted in his typing as he looked up at Princess.

"Don't bother," Princess rolled her eyes again. "You're not going to find any answers on that one. That freakshow's a complete mystery."

"How so?" Mojo shook his head. "There must be some sort of explanation behind it-"

Princess shrugged. "They say it was a _'training day accident_ ,'" she made air quotes with her fingers, "But they've never gone into detail about it, except to say that she was scarred from whatever happened."

"Scarring?"

"That's what they say," Princess shrugged again. "The official story at least. There are loads of other theories about it though," Princess paused as she began to count on her fingers, "Let's see... there's the zombie theory by some doctor who wrote a book about it- that's probably the most popular. There's the demon conspiracy, some weird alien abduction story, _hmm_... oh yeah the one about her being an evil clone now, and, well _my_ favorite one to think about is the one about how Professor Utonium was experimenting on her one day and cracked her skull in half!" Princess laughed a little, as Mojo stared back at her with a befuddled expression. "One thing's for sure though; it's pretty obvious that they're hiding something. The villains had all been gone for three years before she randomly showed up to that premiere looking like that. I mean... why would they still be having training days when they hadn't had a need to fight in all that time? It makes no sense." Princess shook her head. "But that's their story apparently and no matter how many holes get poked in it, they always stick to it."

"And what are these holes?" Mojo raised an eyebrow.

Princess rolled her eyes. "Monkey Man, I do _not_ have time for this!" she placed her hands on her hips as she glared at Mojo once more, "You know, you're lucky you caught me when I'm in a good mood." She pointed at the door to her office, "Now, get the hell out of here! Alfred should be returning with your supplies soon, and when he does, you better get to work on my blaster rays, got it?"

"This is you in a good mood?"

Princess's eyes narrowed even more on the chimp. She sat down her collection of work for the day on her desk and retrieved the newspaper that sat on top of the pile. She held it up for Mojo to see, "I made the front page today," she smiled proudly.

Mojo's eyes fell on the bold black lettering of the news headline: " _Unidentified Flying Outlaw Unleashes Chaos_." Below the main headline was a still photograph of the alien masked individual who had broken Mojo from his cell the day prior.

" _You_ made the front page?" Mojo huffed a little as his eyes quickly scanned the article text.

"Well _yeah_ ," Princess handed the newspaper to Mojo who took it in his hands as he continued to study it, "That's _my_ lackey after all."

"That is funny for I do not see any credit given to you anywhere here-" he looked up at Princess as he began to snicker, only he saw that she glared at him with even more intensity than before. Mojo sensed that he might have been playing with fire, and quickly retracted his statement, "I mean," he hopped off from the desk chair and casually strolled past Princess as he made his way towards the office door, taking the newspaper with him, "Yes, congratulations, Princess. That is to say, you've certainly had your victory against those Puffs, and I commend you for it. Good job!"

Princess rolled her eyes. "Just shut up and get out of my office."

* * *

There was a tense energy felt on the steps of Townsville's capitol building as Blossom and Buttercup touched down that early morning. The streets just beyond the capitol steps were packed with rows of parked police cars, and there was a steady line of officers who marched up the sidewalks, towards City Hall. It was just ten minutes before the scheduled conference with the mayor was set to begin, and every cop in the city was asked to be in attendance. The massive crowd of officers gathered around the entrance to the white bricked building. Among them were teams of cameramen and news reporters. They all were waiting for the doors to the municipal center to be opened, and anxiously spoke about the events of the day prior.

As Buttercup followed Blossom up the capitol steps, her eyes fell on the entrance to the white bricked building and she stopped in her tracks. " _Shit_."

Blossom stopped and turned to face Buttercup, "What?"

Buttercup slipped on her baggy jacket's hood over her head, and pulled the drawstrings tight as she nodded her head in the direction of the media cameras, "I didn't know the circus was gonna be here too," she muttered low.

Blossom hadn't noticed the news crews until then, "Oh," she frowned. "Well, the mayor said it was a closed meeting so they won't be allowed inside." She looked at Buttercup and saw that she wore a scowl as her eyes narrowed on the media teams. If her sibling considered anyone an enemy, it was most definitely them.

"Won't stop 'em from trying, I bet," Buttercup muttered low again. She looked at Blossom, "Isn't there another way to get inside?"

Blossom looked from Buttercup, to the news crews, and back to Buttercup again. Her sibling didn't have her scars covered that morning, and it was probably best to try to avoid any media attention just for her sake. Blossom nodded. "Yeah. I'm sure the mayor won't mind if we just use her office window," she suggested. "Come on."

The two shot off for the back of the building, and Blossom led them to the window of Mayor Bellum's office. As the super powered teenagers hovered outside the window, they could both see that the mayor's team was hard at work as they hurried about the office in preparation for that morning's meeting. Blossom forced open the window pane with her hands and held it open for Buttercup, before slipping inside after her.

As the two floated through the office, they went unnoticed by the staff at work, but soon heard a familiar, warm voice. "Oh, Good morning, Girls," Mayor Bellum greeted them both. "First ones to our briefing today, I see."

Blossom smiled big as soon as she saw Mayor Bellum, "Good morning, Mayor. I hope you don't mind us being a little early."

"Of course not," Bellum smiled. "We will be beginning shortly in the conference room," she motioned towards a set of double doors to her right, "Feel free to wait in there."

"Thanks, Mayor."

Blossom and Buttercup made their way into the designated room. The large space had been set up with rows of chairs for the hundreds of officers that would be in attendance. The mayor's staff was setting up a large projection screen at the far end of the room. The chief of police sat in the front row with a few other officers at his side. Blossom led the way down the center of the room and joined the chief and his men in the front row.

"Good morning, Chief," Blossom grinned as she approached them.

"Ah, good morning, Blossom," the large man smiled from behind a cup of coffee.

Blossom took a seat beside the chief, and sat her book bag down at her feet. As she retrieved a pencil and notebook from her bag, Buttercup slowly lowered herself into the seat next to her. She lowered her hoodie as she watched Blossom fish around her book bag. "Here," Blossom handed her a pencil and small spiral notebook to take. "For note taking," she grinned.

Buttercup rolled her eyes a little, but took the supplies from her. As she flipped open the notebook to its first blank page, she could hear the bustle of the crowds of policemen beginning to file into the room behind them. Buttercup glanced over her shoulder and watched the room become filled within a matter of minutes. Beyond the double door entrance to the room, the media was barred from entering, but they crowded around the doors anyway. As the mayor made her way past them, there was a series of bright flashing lights as they photographed the politician. Once Bellum made it past the doors, her staff shut and locked them behind her, and a sudden quiet fell upon the room.

"Good morning, everyone," Mayor Bellum began as she stood before the blank projection screen. "First off, I would like to thank you all for being here so very early in the morning after what I know was a very long day for us all yesterday. Each and every one of you swore an oath to protect this city, and it brings me great pride as your mayor to see so many committed men and women here in one room today. Yesterday, an attack was carried out on our beloved Townsville, and I've asked you all here so that we can work together to bring this senseless anarchist to justice. Unfortunately, we still do not have all the answers as to who exactly was behind this terrorist act, but today we will present to you what we do know. So with that, let's get started."

The lights to the room were dimmed low then as the projection screen behind the mayor began to glow. Security footage taken from the prison began to roll, as the mayor began her detailed breakdown.

"At exactly 2:37 PM, our unknown intruder enters the prison lobby, surpasses the visitors station, and proceeds directly to the main detention center's level one housing..."

As the security footage played, Buttercup felt a twisting in her gut the moment she saw herself. The time clock in the bottom left of the screen began at 2:37 and rolled on from there as the recordings played out. The camera angles were all from above, and the dark attire she wore made her look like a fast moving shadow on the captured video. It was difficult to see her throughout much of it, and the video had to be replayed at a slower rate in order to see anything besides just a black blur that darted from one edge of the screen to the next.

The mayor continued to narrate the events that played out, while everyone in the room gave her and the screen their full focus. Buttercup tried to keep her attention on the projection like everyone else, but she was also sure to watch Blossom from the corner of her left eye. Her pink eyes darted quickly between the notes she scribbled furiously in the notebook she had rested on her lap, and the security footage projection.

There was a collective gasp in the room as the footage reached the 2:39 mark and the first round of shots were fired at the dark figure on tape. "Officer Hernandez fires thirty rounds, successfully hitting his target, but..." Bellum paused as the video froze for a moment, "The target is unaffected by this."

Buttercup gulped nervously as she glanced to her left at Blossom. There was a sparkle in her pink eyes as she sat up in her seat a little, and watched the previous segment replay again in slow motion. "Bullet proof," Blossom breathed to herself as she stared up at the masked crook on screen.

There was a rapid growing nausea in Buttercup's stomach which made her physically cringe then as she felt herself beginning to sweat. She glanced down at the blank notebook she held in her hand and as she tried to write with her pencil, her hand shook as her nerves began to steadily climb higher and higher. It took her a full minute to concentrate enough to simply write down the words: "bullet proof."

"2:41 PM, the tower guards and level three enforcement arrive at level two and assemble, meanwhile the intruder appears to speak with detained villain, Arturo de la Guerra."

Buttercup's head immediately snapped up at the mention of Arturo's name and she saw that the security footage had been stopped. Arturo's mugshot was projected onto the screen next as the mayor rattled off a brief descriptor, "Arturo de la Guerra. Age twenty-seven. Four foot, seven inches. Former member of the Gang Green Gang, and sentenced to life in Townsville Correctional's Villains Ward. He is one of six villains still currently at large."

The churning in her stomach intensified as Buttercup blinked up at the image of Arturo. She hadn't meant to drag him into any trouble with her, but it wasn't until then that she began to realize that maybe she had. She thought back to the day before when the short man begged her not to get him involved for the sake of his daughter. She thought she was doing a good thing at the time, but now...

Buttercup's eyes drifted back to her sister. Blossom turned the page to her notebook and continued to transcribe everything the mayor said, taking down every bit of detail that was presented to them. She watched as Blossom wrote down Arturo's name in large, capital letters and underlined it.

As Blossom glanced down to her notes, out of the corner of her eye, she could see her sibling's knee bouncing repeatedly beside her. She looked at Buttercup and saw that she had sat down her notebook and pencil, and appeared to wrap her arms around her stomach as she stared ahead at the projection before them. She looked pale, even for Buttercup, and Blossom noticed a drop of sweat above her brow as she clung to her sides.

"Buttercup," Blossom whispered to her, and the tomboy's head snapped quickly in her direction. " _Hey_ ," she frowned as she spoke softly, "You OK?"

Buttercup slowly nodded, "Yeah," she whispered back. "Yeah, I... just need to pee." She rose to her feet, "Be right back."

As much as Buttercup didn't want to miss the ongoing briefing, her nausea had become too much for her. Clearly, Blossom could tell something was up with her, and so that alone was enough of a reason to get out before she managed to draw any more suspicion to herself. But the main motivation behind the teen's quick departure was definitely the rising vomit she fought to keep down.

As Buttercup stepped out from the conference room, the media still waited outside, but the super powered teenager managed to zip out of the area before anyone could notice her. There was a public restroom just down the hallway and Buttercup rushed inside with a quick flash of green light. She locked the door behind her and flew for the first stall. She stumbled inside the stall and flipped up the toilet seat as she fell to her knees and immediately regurgitated all of her morning breakfast cereal.

Buttercup groaned miserably as she hung her head inside the toilet bowl and felt her stomach turn over painfully. She hadn't felt that sick in a long time, and her head began to throb terribly as her vision seemed to double while she stared at the chunky soggy cereal marshmallows that she had thrown up.

" _Dude. Fucking pitiful, Man. Didn't they used to call us the toughest fighter_?"

" _Oh God,_ " Buttercup moaned with her head still inside the bowl. She recognized the voice immediately. It was her own, after all. The strong stench of burning, cooking flesh was also always a dead giveaway. " _Please_ , not fucking now..."

Even though Buttercup knew who she would face, as she lifted her head she was still startled by the unexpected mask she wore.

" _Boo_!" the alien mask greeted her face to face as Buttercup looked up.

Buttercup fell backwards and knocked the back of her head against the shut stall door behind her. "Fuck!" she cursed as she rubbed the spot behind her head, "What the fuck?!"

The child casually sat on top of the white toilet tank and slapped her knee as she gleefully laughed from behind the alien mask. "Oh _Man_ , I _love_ this thing!" the thirteen-year-old continued to laugh as she pulled away the Halloween mask and revealed her gruesome, bloody face.

The forever fresh acid burns on the right side of the kid's face sizzled for eternity and the edges of her wounds had a faint green glow to them. Her short raven hair was soaked with her own blood, as well as the shredded sleeves of her hooded black jacket. She held onto the green alien mask with her blistered and bloody beaten hands as she grinned down at herself.

"Seriously, Dude," she shook her head as she laughed, "What's your deal? What the fuck you pukin' so much for? Quit being such a little bitch! I thought we had fun yesterday!"

Buttercup used her sleeved hand to wipe her mouth as she blinked back at her younger self, "You," she began as she rose to her feet, "Are not here."

"Man, I'm always here," the kid rolled her eyes. "I mean... I'm you, aren't I?"

Buttercup shook her head as she shut her eyes and held her throbbing head, "No," she answered as she winced a little from another pain in her stomach, "No, you're just... my imagination."

"Whatever you gotta tell yourself, Dude."

Buttercup kept her eyes shut for several minutes as she took a series of slow, deep breaths. She swallowed hard before opening her eyes again.

"Still here," her younger self stared back at her with her ghostly opaque, white right eye as she grinned.

" _Ugh_ ," Buttercup held her head as it continued to throb from her dizzying headache, "I thought I finally saw the last of you." Buttercup reached for the toilet's flush lever, but her hallucination reached out and stopped her.

"Guess not- Hey wait!" she grabbed Buttercup's arm and pointed inside the toilet bowl, "You puked your meds up, Dude. Better fish it out first. You promised _Ms. Keane_ , after all," the kid laughed as she pursed her lips together and taunted herself with a kissy face.

Buttercup's green eyes narrowed on the annoying child as she flushed the toilet. She left the bathroom stall, slamming the door behind her, but her younger self was already waiting for her on the other side. Buttercup refused to look at her as she floated over to the sink counter and began to wash her hands.

"Hey, for real," the kid continued from behind her, "I just wanted to tell you to chill out. You're seriously that afraid of gettin' caught? I mean, if that happens, it'll probably suck, but... Dude, what's the worse they can do to us?"

As Buttercup rinsed her hands in the sink, she looked up at her reflection. Even though her younger self stood just behind her, she did not possess a reflection like her, and so Buttercup kept her eyes focused only on herself in the mirror as she still tried to ignore the nagging illusion.

"I didn't get any sleep last night. That's why this is happening," Buttercup muttered to herself as she tried to rationalize the situation out loud. "I just need to go home... get some rest... and everything will be... fine."

"That's the spirit! Everything _will_ be fine! Trust me, Dude! And just _relaaax_!"

Buttercup walked past herself and yanked a paper towel from the towel dispenser on the wall. As she dried her hands, her blood-soaked self stood beside her and continued to offer her more unwanted advice.

"If I were you- well, I _am_ , but- if I were _you you_ , and I got caught, the first thing I'd do is throw _THIS_ in their face!" she pointed at the right side of her face and laughed. "Seriously! Who _the fuck_ are they all kidding?! So what we caused a little prison break?! Big deal! That goody-goody Blossom's out there right now, being the teacher's little pet with her studious little note takin' and ass kissin' ways! Just sittin' pretty and smilin' with nothin' buggin' her at all! And she's the one that did this!" she again motioned to her burnt and bloody face, "She's the one with the _real_ shit to hide! Don't you see?! That bitch like literally got away with murder! Dude! You and me? We're gonna be fine!"

Buttercup glanced briefly at the apparition as she tossed her wadded paper towel into a trash bin. " _Huh_..." She had a point.

The thirteen-year-old grinned big as she watched as Buttercup seemed to pause over this. "Feel a little better now?"

Buttercup did not answer out loud, but the slightest smirk swept her face as she gave a single nod.

"Cool," the kid laughed again. "See ya, Dude."

As Buttercup slowly floated back towards the mayor's office, she saw that the hallways were crowded by groups of police officers. The meeting had ended and they all gathered to discuss the findings that had been shared with them that morning. At the far end of the hall, Buttercup spotted flashes of bright lights from the rapidly firing camera work of the media who crowded around her sister Blossom. The tall redhead stood outside the mayor's office, and searched over the heads of the people around her. Her pink eyes fell on Buttercup and she quickly zipped towards her.

"There you are," Blossom breathed a sigh of relief as she reached Buttercup. "I thought you said you'd be right back."

"Sorry," Buttercup answered with a weak smile, "I got lost lookin' for the bathroom." Blossom raised an eyebrow, and Buttercup could tell that she did not believe her. She forced herself to shake off the last of her lingering nerves and tried again. "Alright, yeah," she sighed heavily. "I was waitin' out the meeting in the bathroom," she shrugged. "I just didn't wanna have to deal with _them_ comin' back, you know?" Buttercup grumbled as she nodded her head in the direction of the media who now circled around Mayor Bellum down the hall.

Blossom looked from Buttercup to the news crews and frowned a little. "Sorry, Sis."

"Not your fault," Buttercup shrugged. "You took notes though, right?"

A smile swept the nerdy girl's face, "Of course! I have everything there is to know right here!" she patted her book bag that hung at her side. "Come on," she floated beside Buttercup and looped her arm around the tomboy's, "When we get home, you, me and Bubbles can go over everything! Just you wait, Sis! I bet with the three of us on the case, it's only a matter of time before we catch this masked freak!"

Buttercup wore a smirk, "Cool."

* * *

The short simian still wore his bright orange, prison jumpsuit as he sat at the desk within his guest room suite and worked. The jumpsuit was the only clothing he possessed, but at least that morning he had been able to enjoy a much needed, revitalizing warm shower, and the first real meal besides prison gruel in over six years. It was just enough nourishment to get him through the task at hand. It had taken him six hours in total, but soon it would be done.

Normally, Mojo Jojo would devote much more time to his craft, but it was suffice to say that his heart was not truly invested in his current endeavor. Besides, it wasn't as if blaster rayguns were difficult to make. Plasma ray technology had been something he mastered very early on in his villainous career, after all. Morbucks had provided everything he needed, and all he had to do was just piece it all together. Princess had asked him to work quickly, but that was not why he did so. No, for Mojo Jojo, he worked tediously all morning and afternoon to achieve one goal: To get the hell out of there.

"So, how's it going in here, Monkey Man?" Princess asked as she stepped into the room. "Are you finished with my blaster rays yet?"

Mojo gave a short huff from where he sat at his workstation, "Huh. Am I finished yet? How many times are you going to ask that of me today, and how many times will I have to explain it to you? This is precision work! My craft is a careful one, and it is not something to be rushed, hurried or hastened! You cannot simply expedite a process such as this! What I am doing, is not something that can be done with just a snap of your fingers! This is not instant oatmeal!" Mojo turned in his seat and glared at Princess for a moment, before turning back in his chair and adding, "With that said: Yes, I am done."

Princess gasped, "Really?!"

" _Really_."

The teenager squealed loudly as she rushed over to the primate who held out two freshly crafted, golden-plated blaster ray guns. She snatched them immediately from him as she jumped with joy and celebrated. She took one in each hand and aimed for a spot on the far wall of the room and fired them both at once. Two blinding white blasts shot from the pair of ray guns and seared through the wall like bright laserbeams. Princess allowed the blast to shoot out for several seconds before she stopped.

Princess lowered her weapons and observed the damage that had been left behind by her blasters. She could see that they had not just burned through that room's wall, but the next room's as well. In fact, as she peered through the soft-ball sized holes, she could see that the blasts had carved their way straight through her entire mansion.

A giant, devious grin swept her face as Princess began to cackle maniacally, "Yes! _Yes_! This is going to be amazing!" she skipped about the room as she loudly celebrated, "Finally! I have the power to destroy those Powerpuffs once and for all!"

Mojo still sat at his work desk and rolled his eyes. He still was not convinced that Princess had what it took to defeat the super trio. If all it took was a couple of simple rayguns to destroy the Powerpuff Girls, Mojo would have been able to do it himself ages ago.

Princess twirled her new blasters in each of her hands as she admired them and their power. "Great work, Mojo. They're just like my old ones, you know?" she giggled girlishly, " _Ah_ , it feels great to just feel them in my hands again..."

"Yes, yes, I know. I am very good at what I do." Mojo cleared his throat, "Now. About my payment?"

Princess faced Mojo and wore a smirk. "Of course," she said as she tucked her new rayguns into her waistband. "But first," she began as she approached Mojo again. "I was hoping you could help me with just one next, quick little step to my brilliant plan before you go?"

Mojo could not help but produce a short laugh, "You mean your _evil_ , brilliant plan that will ultimately destroy the Powerpuff Girls?" he rolled his eyes. "Firstly, I do not recall me agreeing to help you any more than what I have already done for you. Further assistance was not a part of our initial deal. Secondly, no offense to you, Princess, but so far I have yet to see any evidence of you having any plan whatsoever other than you playing shoot 'em up with your former classmates." Mojo smirked a little, "If you ask me, you are all talk and no action. All bark, and no bite. I doubt you even really truly have a plan at all."

Mojo had intended to get under the annoying brat's skin, but Princess wore a rather calm smile as she placed her hands on her hips and looked back at him. "Oh," she smirked. "I have a plan."

"And that would be the _evil_ one, right?" Mojo snickered a little, still not taking her seriously.

"That's the one," Princess still smiled as she folded her arms across her chest.

"Color me curious," Mojo began, "But what is this next step to your _evil plan_ exactly?"

The girl's devious grin only widened before she answered with dark, narrowed eyes, " _This_."

Princess swiftly removed one of her blaster rayguns from her waistband and gave the chimp a quick zap. The white plasma ray struck Mojo and the powerful, electric shock stunned him immediately upon impact. With just that one small zap, the villain collapsed onto the ground, unconscious.

* * *

Buttercup shut herself inside her closet to ensure that nobody could see what she was doing. She had been waiting for her sisters to leave the house all day for the opportunity to do this, and she wasn't going to let those birds snitch on her a second time. She rummaged through the clothing she had scattered on the floor and pulled out a black cellular phone. She dialed the one number that was programmed into it and held the device to her ear as it rang. As she waited for an answer, Buttercup retrieved a black backpack from her closet shelf and tossed her alien mask inside of it along with the rest of her disguise. She slung the backpack over her shoulder and stepped outside of the closet.

" _Well, well_ ," Princess's voice finally answered on the other end. "I was wondering when I would hear from you again, Stranger."

Buttercup smirked as she floated across her bedroom. "Sorry," she said as she lowered herself onto her bed, "I've been kinda busy today, I guess."

"Same here, so it's fine," Princess replied with a ho-hum sigh. "So," Princess began again, "Will you still be coming by to claim your reward tonight?"

"Yeah," Buttercup answered as she reclined against her pillow, "Are you free now?"

"I am actually."

"Cool." Buttercup smirked again, "I'll be there soon then."

"See you soon then."

"Cool. Bye-"

"Wait," Princess interrupted before she could end the call. "Say..." she paused for a moment. "What is your name anyway?"

Buttercup blinked for a moment as she sat up in bed. "My name?"

"You do have one, don't you?" Princess giggled girlishly on the other end.

"Yeah," Buttercup faked a laugh as her emerald eyes darted about her bedroom. They settled on the book on her nightstand. "It's... Joe...y."

"Joey?"

"Yep."

"Alright, Joey. I'll see you soon then."

"Alright. See ya soon." As she ended the call, she felt a stinging in her cheeks. At first, she couldn't fathom the source of the sudden, pinching sensation, but as she rose to her feet, she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror on her wall. The incredibly wide grin she bore was the reason behind it, and no matter how hard she tried, she could not get rid of it. The grinning teenager quickly shut off the lights to her bedroom, and swiftly descended down the stairs and out the front door of her home.

* * *

Princess smiled to herself as she hung up her cell phone. She placed it back down on top of her office desk, beside the newspaper article she had been staring at for the past hour and a half. The redhead rested her chin on her hands as she propped her elbows on her desk and kicked her feet from where they dangled off her swivel chair. She hummed quietly to herself as she gazed at the black and white image with a dreamy sort of expression on her face. " _Joey_ ," she repeated the name to herself as she smiled at the photograph of her lackey caught in action.

Perhaps it was still her heightened euphoria from all her recent triumphs, but Princess felt a growing excitement within her as she anticipated Joey's visit. She rose from her desk and walked over to a mirror that hung on the wall. She checked her reflection, patted her hair poofs and hummed happily to herself. " _Oh, Alfred_?" she called out.

"Yes, Miss?" Alfred appeared in the open doorway.

"My lackey, Joey, is on their way over now," Princess began as she walked towards him. "Will you make sure that their reward money is ready for them?"

"Yes, of course. I have it all prepared." Alfred answered.

" _Hey_!"

Princess turned her head and looked behind her to Mojo who she had tied up and bound to a chair with ropes in the corner of the room. "What do _you_ want? _Ugh_ , I thought you were unconscious!" she snapped at him.

"And just where is _my_ reward? Morbucks, you and I had a clear agreement- a deal- a business arrangement! I gave you what you asked for and instead of giving me what was owed, you turn on me?! With my own technology no less! What sort of thanks is that?! And why is it this _lackey_ of yours gets his reward and not Mojo?!"

Princess glared at Mojo, but stopped as soon as she heard the doorbell to the manor's main entrance ring out. A smile then swept her face once more as she plucked a handkerchief from Alfred's vest pocket. "Go and get the door, Alfred."

"Right away, Miss."

As Alfred left, Princess turned back to face Mojo as she approached him with the handkerchief in hand. "Well, Monkey Man, that would be because I actually _like_ Joey. So, I really don't mind paying them what they're owed." She stopped before him. " _You_ on the other hand? _Blegh_!"

Mojo's eyes narrowed on the girl. He opened his mouth to say something, but Princess silenced him immediately by stuffing the balled up handkerchief in his mouth.

"Now," she smiled deviously as she gagged her prisoner, "You just sit here, and keep your annoying mouth shut."

As the simian struggled to break free from his restraints, he glared at the redhead as she skipped merrily out of the room with a wild glow in his eyes. Mojo was absolutely furious, and if he had been able to, he would have tried to rip her to shreds with his own hands. However, Princess paid him no more attention. Right then, she felt her heart a flutter as she hurried down the corridor to meet Joey.

As Princess entered the manor's grand foyer, her brown eyes shimmered as they landed on the tall, raven haired teen in the alien mask. "Joey," she greeted them with a sweet smile, "You sure got here fast." She giggled, "What? Did you call me from outside the gate or something?"

Joey stood with their hands in their jeans pockets and shrugged, "Or somethin'."

Princess laughed. "Well, I don't know how you did it, but," she smirked, "I have to hand it to you, Joey. You went above and beyond with your mission yesterday. Nice work, Lackey."

"Thanks." Joey tilted their head over their shoulder, "By the way, did you know you got like two big holes burnt into the side of your house?"

"I know," Princess said as she reached for her waistband. She pulled out her brand new blaster rayguns and smiled innocently, " _Oopsies_."

" _Woah_ ," Joey stepped back a little. "Did Mojo make those for you?"

" _Mmm-hmm_." Princess gave the blasters a twirl as she showed them off proudly.

"Jeez, that was fast."

"Actually," Princess stepped towards Joey with her blasters in hand. "I was just going to go practice a bit in my private shooting range. You wanna join me and give 'em a try for yourself?"

Joey looked at the rayguns in Princess' hands, and then her. "Sure. ...Sounds fun."

"Great! Let's go!" Princess yanked Joey by their arm and began to lead them down the hallway to their left.

Even though the short girl's grip was nothing compared to Joey's natural strength, Joey allowed her to pull them along anyway. As they walked quickly down the long, winding cooridor, Joey glanced to their right and spotted a peculiar sight through an open doorway. They stopped in their tracks as their green eyes fell on the mutant chimpanzee, tied in ropes with his mouth gagged by a handkerchief. "Woah. What the-?"

Princess stopped with Joey and followed their gaze. She raised a hand to her lips as she giggled a little. "Oh. _That_."

"I'm confused," Joey looked from Princess, to Mojo, to Princess again, "I thought he helped you out?"

"He did," Princess shrugged. "And soon, he's going to help me again."

"But... you got him all tied up."

Princess laughed again. "OK, I normally don't like to share my plans, but... I guess I can let you in on a bit of it." Princess placed her hands on her hips as she faced Joey. "You see. My plan has several stages to it. One of which involves dragging those no-good Puffs' good names through the dirt!" Princess made a fist as she smiled deviously, "I plan to humiliate those bitches by beating them at their own game. Right now, they're probably driving themselves crazy looking for the stupid monkey. But they won't be able to find him, because, _duh_ , he's here!" Princess giggled wickedly. "And once everyone realizes they're all complete failures as superheroes- _tada_!" Princess cheered, " _I'll_ be the one who saves the day!"

Joey blinked at Princess, "So... you made him make you some new rayguns, and now that he's done with them you're just gonna turn around and turn him back in?"

"Yes! That's it!" Princess clapped her hands. "Can you believe that monkey actually thought I was going to pay him for his work and buy him a ticket to Cancun?"

"That's..."

" _Evil_?" Princess asked eagerly.

"Well... _yeah_ ," Joey answered.

Princess turned her head slightly and narrowed her eyes at Mojo as she smirked, " _Thank you_."

Mojo returned a mean gaze from where he was bound, before Princess shut the door.

" _Anywaaays_ ," Princess sang as she closed the door to her office. She took Joey by the arm once more, "Let's go! My private shooting range is right over here!"

* * *

Mojo listened to the sounds of Princess and her lackey running along the corridor outside the room. He spit the gag from his mouth and grunted angrily as he continued to struggle with his restraints, "I knew I should have never trusted that Morbucks! As if that child could be capable of being anything beyond her selfish, self-serving and self-centered self! _Graargh_! I should have foreseen such a betrayal! _Rotten, vile little brat_! _Ooh_ , when Mojo gets out of here, _mark my words, Morbucks_! _You will have to pay for this some day_!" Mojo shouted loudly, but nobody was around to hear him.

As the simian slowly settled down, his eyes fell on a circular cut hole in the wooden paneled wall of the office. It was one of the many craters left behind by Princess's blasters. The edges of the hole looked sharp- sharp enough to cut through rope, Mojo imagined. Mojo rocked his body until he managed to force the chair he was bound to close to the spot on the wall. It took several minutes, but by rubbing his wrist restraints against the sharp edges of the wall's cavity, he eventually broke through the rope.

Mojo tore off his restraints as soon as he felt the snap of the rope behind him. " _Aha_!" he giggled to himself maniacally as he leapt off from the chair. "Foolish Morbucks! They had to design Mojo a titanium cell to keep him locked up! Rope is no match for Mojo!" He quickly made his way to the door of the office. " _Now_ ," he said as he carefully cracked the door open and slowly peered outside. His eyes searched the empty corridor thoroughly before he stepped out into the hallway, "To make my escape..."

* * *

The skinny butler carefully placed the final watermelon on its stand and stepped away. The three striped green, large melons had a paper photograph of each of the Powerpuff Girls taped upon them; each sat upon their own individual stands, spaced evenly apart from one another. Princess stood with Joey on the opposite end of the white, marbled room. As Alfred moved out of the path of their shooting practice, Princess clapped with joy.

" _Ooh_!" the girl wiggled with excitement as she readied her blasterrays in her hands. "This is so exciting! It's been so long since I've been able to practice with my blasters!" She raised a single blaster up with her right hand, and licked her lips as she took aim.

Joey stood just behind Princess and watched. "You really wanna kill them that badly, huh?"

Princess halted just before her finger reached the trigger to her golden raygun. "Kill them?" She paused to smile at Joey with a devious twinkle in her eyes, " _No_ , murder is just too simple. What _I want_ is to _destroy_ those Powerpuffs."

Joey raised an eyebrow from behind their mask, "I don't get it. What's the difference?"

Princess laughed a little. "Well, killing is just _killing_ ," Princess answered with a smile, "But _destroying_ involves _so_ much more..."

Joey watched as the redhead returned her focus to her targets across the room. Slowly, she raised her weapon once more. "In order to properly destroy your enemy, you must make them _suffer_ before having them succumb to their final fate. You see, that's why I have devised a plan with _three_ distinct phases..."

"Which are...?"

The young villainess narrowed her dark brown eyes on the first target on the left with Buttercup's face. Her lips curled slightly as she pulled the trigger. "One: _Humiliate_." A bright blast shot from the raygun and struck the watermelon target. Bright, red chunks of melon flew in all directions as it exploded immediately upon impact.

Princess aimed for the Blossom target next, "Two: _Torture_." Another quick burst of red juices splattered everywhere.

As Princess aimed for the final Bubbles target her devious grin only widened, "And finally... Three: _Destroy_!"

Joey stared with wide eyes from behind their mask as they watched the red fruit stain the marble white floors and walls of the room. Princess maniacal giggling echoed throughout the massive room. The short girl skillfully twirled her blaster rays in her hands. "That's the difference."

" _Oh_ ," Joey squirmed a little. "...Cool."

"Alfred, another round please," Princess instructed with a snap of her fingers, and the butler began to replace the wasted targets with fresh ones. While Alfred readied the range, Princess turned to Joey again. "So. You wanna give it a shot?" She held out one of her rayguns for Joey to take.

Joey reached for the weapon and took it in their right hand. The golden raygun was a lot lighter than they had expected. If Joey hadn't known that Mojo was the one who made them, they would have believed it to be a fake. Of course, after witnessing the destruction for themselves, Joey knew that they were very much real.

"Now," Princess began, "We're not shooting actual Puffs here, so go easy. All you need is a light tap on the trigger there. Don't press down all the way and definitely don't hold it down for more than just a split second. That's all the power you'll need. Anything more and I'll have more holes in my mansion. And well, if that happens, I'll have to deduct the damages from your pay, got it?"

Joey nodded, "Got it." They turned to face the shooting arena across the room. There were three new Powerpuff faced targets in place and as Joey faced them, they hesitated a little.

"You know," Princess studied Joey a bit, "You'd probably have way better aim if you take your mask off-"

The short girl stood on her tiptoes as she reached for the Halloween mask, and Joey quickly stumbled backwards as they swatted her hand away, " _No_!"

Princess blinked at them for a moment. "But you'll be able to see better-"

"No, I-" Joey gulped nervously as they took another step backwards and away from Princess, "I... _can't_."

"Oh, come on," Princess placed her hands on her hips, "Of course you can. Just take it off! I know you said you're _ugly_ , but you can't possibly be that ugly!"

Princess took another step towards Joey, but they responded by taking another step back. "N-no... seriously, I... I can't. _I just..._ _can't, OK?_ "

Princess looked them up and down as she wondered what was the reason behind Joey's sudden strange behavior. Her eyes fell on Joey's fingertips that peeked out from the baggy long sleeves of their jacket. In their right hand, they still gripped one of her rayguns and she could see the dark marks on their hand then. She thought back to the other day when they shook hands and she had discovered the severe scarring on Joey's palms and fingers. A sudden wave of sympathy swept Princess as she stared up at the alien mask. She could faintly make out a pair of soft, emerald green eyes that stared back at her from behind the mask. They looked desperate and... sad.

"OK," Princess said after a while. "...Sorry."

Joey looked at Princess, surprised that the spoiled girl didn't press any further. They could not tell what Princess was thinking then as she stared up at their alien masked face, but the longer their eyes remained locked with one another's, the more Joey felt like somehow... she understood.

Princess stepped towards Joey and gently took them by the arm. "Come on," she gave them a small smile as she led them back towards their target practice, "Let's see what you got, huh?"

Joey stood before the targets. Slowly, they raised the blaster gun in their right hand and took aim. With just a slight tap of the trigger, a bright white beam of light shot out and obliterated the green Powerpuff target across the room. Joey watched the melon erupt into a bright red shower of raining fruit pieces.

Princess clapped, "Good shot!" she cheered. "Go on," she grinned big, "Take out the others now!"

Joey laughed a little from behind their mask, "Thanks, but," they turned to Princess and handed her back her raygun, "I kinda should be going..."

"Oh..." Princess frowned a little as she took her blaster back from them. She tried to hide her disappointment with a small laugh, "Very well," she began as she looked to Alfred and snapped her fingers, "Alfred? Joey's payment please."

Alfred stepped forward and produced a black, leather briefcase. He handed it to Joey who took it eagerly.

"Hell yeah!" Joey snapped the briefcase open and looked at the stacks of crisp bills inside, "Thanks!"

"Thank _you_ ," Princess smiled. She watched as Joey removed their backpack and began to transfer the money from the briefcase to their own bag. "Say... here's an idea," Princess began. Joey zipped up his backpack and slung it over their shoulder. They looked at Princess, and she continued, "You know, you kind of have a knack for this."

"A knack for what?"

Princess shrugged. "Villainy."

Joey laughed from behind their mask, "You think so?"

"Yeah," Princess smirked. "Maybe you and I... can team up some time?"

"Team up for what?"

Princess giggled a little. "Destroying the Powerpuff Girls, _duh_."

Joey chuckled nervously. "I, uh... I'm not sure about that..." They reached into their pants pocket and retrieved the small, black cellphone that Princess had given them the day before. They held it out for Princess to take, "Here ya go-"

"Keep it," Princess interrupted as she cupped her hand over Joey's and gently pushed the device back towards them. Her hand lingered on top of Joey's for a moment and her dainty fingers lightly traced the scarring on Joey's hands. The unexpected soft touch was enough to make Joey blush, but Princess could not see it from behind their mask of course. "Just... take a while to think about that team up, you know?" Princess playfully fluttered her eyelashes. "Then... you can call me."

The look Princess gave Joey then only made them blush harder. "Yeah... Ok..." they gulped nervously as they returned the phone to their pockets, "Well... see ya."

"See you around, Joey."

* * *

The sun had set and it was late into the evening as Mojo made his barefooted track across the city. The heavy bundle of stolen supplies clanked loudly as he carried it over his shoulder. The white pillowcase was stuffed with whatever he could find during his speedy ransack before he fled the mansion. Ideally, Mojo would have hoped to find a safe containing cash during his robbery efforts. However, with his former captor still in the manor with him, he could not risk getting caught and so a fast five-minute sweep was all he could afford.

He was fortunate enough at least to stumble across the billionaire's bedroom suite. There, he managed to finally ditch his bright orange prison wear for some real clothes. He knew if he stood a chance out in the streets, he would have to disguise himself well. The mutant chimpanzee hid his exposed, pink brain matter with a large, dark purple wool cap. When he discovered the winter beanie, he also found a matching long scarf. With the scarf wrapped carefully around his neck, and the cap pulled low, it was just enough cover to hide his leathery, green chimp face. Most of the clothing in Morbucks' closet were just suits, and all entirely too big for Mojo to wear. He settled for a simple white button down shirt, which fit him almost like a dress, but he tucked it into a pair of black shorts he found. The cargo shorts fit him like a pair baggy pants, but he kept them up with a black leather belt he quickly altered. Mojo also grabbed a dark grey windbreaker jacket. The dark color was the perfect finish for blending into the shadows, but it fit him like a long, oversized trench coat which dragged along the ground behind him as he walked.

It was a downhill path from the Hills to Downtown. The neighborhood of Boil Heights sat directly beneath the gated hillside community. Mojo always found it ironic that the glitziest and most glamorous estates of Townsville sat just above the city's most neglected, downtrodden streets. As he reached the border of the east side, his eyes fell on the main river bridge which crossed into the heart of the city. The tall iron lamp posts that ran along the cement bridge flickered with low, weak beams of light. There were two tall billboards that hung in the sky on either side of the arched bridgeway. The one to the right featured an annoyingly bright display of his three former enemies. Mojo scowled at the girls' smiling faces on the billboard before turning his attention to the advertisement on the left. The electronic screen flashed between several different images, but the bold red headline remained constant: _WANTED_. Mojo watched as the mugshots displayed made their slow rotation: Sedusa, Grubber, Big Billy, Snake, Arturo and lastly himself.

Mojo lifted the brim of his scarf high up over his face, before he continued towards the bridge. As the short villain traveled along the paved sidewalk of the crossway, he peered over the sides of the bridge to the river basin below. Townsville River cut through the east side, only Mojo could see it was anything but a river anymore. Even before his incarceration, he recalled how sparse the trickle of water was that ran along the cement banks. However, now there was no water left at all. Mojo stopped at the center of the bridge, and stepped onto a heightened piece of curbside to get a better look below.

All along the cement walls of the empty basin sat rows of tents and tarp covered shacks. The makeshift shelters stretched as far as Mojo could see from where he stood upon the bridge. At first, he mistook the collection of camp-like housing to be nothing more than some hippy-themed event taking place in the city. However, as he looked more closely there was clear evidence that the these tents, plastic tarps and canopies were permanent housing fixtures.

The people below moved around the tents as if it were just another neighborhood within Townsville. They parked their bicycles outside their canopies, as if parking their minivan in the driveway. There were rows of planters growing fresh vegetables and herbs which resembled community gardens. Most of the shelters were dim, but many others were illuminated somehow with electricity. The closer Mojo looked, he could see a thick line of electrical chords that ran along the tent city; he traced them to the very bridge he stood on, and saw that the homeless had managed to tap into the electricity of the bridge's lamp posts. This was not the first time Mojo found himself homeless and on the streets, but it was certainly the first time he ever saw anything such as this.

"Clearly," he muttered low to himself, "This cursed city has befallen a serious drought, but I wonder..." Mojo cupped his hand over his brow as he strained his eyes to see as far as he could in the dark, "Just how serious?"

Mojo looked ahead and spotted the Townsville Water Tower just beyond the bridgeway. As his eyes settled on the tall landmark, he thought back to his younger days. The first time he found himself out on the streets with nowhere to go, the water tower had been one of his few places of refuge. Back then, to be homeless was already considered a crime within itself. In order to not be hassled with by law enforcement, Mojo could never stay in one place for long. Alley ways, underpasses, park benches- he had many places to sleep under the smog filled skies of the city. However there was never a bed as permanent as the one he used to keep tucked away within the crawlspace underneath the Townsville Water Tower's water tank. After all, the access ladder stretched for over two hundred and fifty feet from the ground up, and was way too difficult a climb for the average person. Mojo, however, had always been a pretty gifted climber. For him, it had always been easy.

Mojo stepped off from the curb and began his hike once more. He had been traveling for no more than an hour, but already he felt several painful blisters beginning to form on the soles of his feet. As he began to limp along the last portion of the bridgeway, Mojo glanced at the tower in the near distance and wondered how his aging body would do with the same climb that night.

The short villain approached the base of the tower, sat his sack of goods at his feet and looked up. The watertower's white paint was chipped, old and yellowing, and the city's name in black and blue was too faded to read anymore. He knew that it was empty; it had been dry years prior and only remained as a historical landmark for the city. Even though it no longer served any real purpose, Mojo questioned why Townsville had let it get so run down over the years. If they were just going to let it deteriorate slowly, then why not just get rid of it all together?

Mojo reached for the tower's ladder with his hands. He drew a deep breath before gripping the bars of the ladder firmly and hoisted himself upward. Mojo relied on his upper body strength for the climb. The simian held onto his knapsack with his feet, as his long ape arms carried him steadily upward.

Years ago, he would have been able to scale the tower swiftly in under a minute. That night, his muscles quivered terribly as he struggled more and more the higher he reached. It took him ten minutes to reach the top, and when he did, he barely had enough strength to pull himself up and over the metal railing. Once he managed to, he landed with a thud on the hard, cold surface of the metal landing.

Mojo lay on his back, catching his breath for several minutes as his chest heaved up and down. He gazed up at the heavy white beams that supported the massive water tank above. The labyrinth of rusted metal beams formed a pattern of giant x's from how they criss crossed one another. While the landing space was just as wide as the massive tank above, the dip of the spherical water tank limited the area there. Of course, it's not as if it was a place intended for living. But for the four-foot chimp, it would do for then.

As Mojo rose to his feet, he lowered his scarf. A cool, night breeze blew through the air as he approached the metal railing and peered down at the city. His eyes fell on the basin below, and from where he stood he could see that the tent city he discovered earlier stretched for miles and miles along the cement river bank.

" _Hmph_ ," Mojo shook his head as he tried to count the hundreds of tents he saw. "Things have certainly gotten much worse."

As he followed the stretch of homeless shelters, his eyes fell on another structure in the west- his former volcano top observatory. Even miles away, he could see how it had been changed. Of course he had learned of the changes earlier, but then he did not want to believe it. Seeing it for himself in person then, he still did not want to believe it. But there was no ignoring the bright green, pink and blue that stained his former lair. It was real. Very real.

Mojo's eyes narrowed on the brightly colored museum, " _Much worse_."

As he glared at the girlishly themed abomination, Mojo felt a steady rage beginning to surface within him. He clenched his hands as he shook and began to breathe heavily through his nostrils. Just as he was about to loudly curse the Powerpuffs' name out loud, he stopped himself.

High up on the water tower, he did not expect to find anyone else. But then, as another light summer breeze blew past him, he caught a peculiar scent in the air. It was a strong skunk-like odor. Mojo looked about the crawlway, but he saw no one. The stench was powerful however, and he knew the source could not be far. As he searched behind every heavy beam, he tried his best to follow the scent and to figure out what it was. It was earthy, yet it stung his nostrils like gasoline. It smelled like... marijuana?

* * *

Buttercup lay against the cool surface of the water tower's spherical tank. The teenager propped her head up with her backpack as she reclined with a rolled joint in her left hand and a book in her right. It was the book she had gotten from Robin on her birthday. She had yet to have a chance to read any of it, and as much as she tried to then, she was finding it difficult to concentrate. Her mind kept wandering back to the visit she had just had with Princess. The way she looked at her, the way she laughed and how she smiled... Buttercup was not used to that sort of attention. Was she really flirting with her? Or maybe it had all just been in her head? After all, who could like somebody in a mask?

The super powered teen sat up and returned her book to her backpack. She took a long drag from her burning marijuana cigarette as she gazed down at the city lights below. As she released the large puff of smoke from her lips, the night wind carried it back towards her. As she held the burning joint, her eyes fell on her scarred hand. She took another quick puff before balancing the roach between her lips as she rolled up her sleeves for a moment. The tomboy held out her scarred left arm and hand as she traced the dark markings with her fingertips, beginning from her elbows. She repeated the same for her right arm next. As her fingertips reached her right palm, the flame of the burning joint reached her lips and she jerked suddenly from the quick burn. "Shit!" she cursed as the joint fell between her legs and she fumbled to catch it. The steep curve of the water tank's surface carried it quickly away from her however, and Buttercup was frankly too stoned to chase after it. " _Dammit_." She sighed heavily, "Oh well. Guess there's more in the stash..." The teen's head fell backwards and she lay flat on her back once more. She relaxed her body and lazily slunk off the water tank's surface, and slipped into the tight crawl space below.

Buttercup hovered along the tops of the metal beams that criss crossed underneath the tank. She reached up for a wedged place between two beams where she kept an old shoebox. Inside the box she kept all the things she could not keep at home which was mainly all her weed related paraphernalia. As she fished around for her rolling papers, she felt a buzzing in her jeans pocket. She returned the box to its place and reached for her cell phone, only when she pulled it out, she realized that was not the source. She returned that phone to her pocket and pulled out her second, black cellphone that rang and answered it, "Hello?"

"Joey!" Princess shouted on the other end, "You didn't happen to see that stupid monkey at all when you left my mansion earlier, did you?"

"Uh..." Buttercup was caught off guard by this. "Uh, no," she answered.

"Well, he's gone!"

For some reason this made Buttercup laugh, "Oh shit. Really?"

"Yes! He's ruining my perfectly evil plan, Joey! I need him back!" Princess pouted on the other end. "Will you help me find him?"

"Uh..."

As the teenager floated in the air and carried on with her phone call, unknown to her Mojo was just below her feet. The short chimp had ducked behind a nearby metal beam the moment he saw the teenager zip into the crawlspace. He watched her from the shadows.

"If you're able to find him and get him back to me, I'll give you another twenty five grand. How does that sound?"

"Really? _Sweet_!" Just then, Buttercup felt a buzzing again in her jeans. It was her personal phone this time. " _Shit_ ," she muttered to herself as she fumbled awkwardly with both phones, "Uh, sorry, Princess, I gotta go!"

"OK well if you see any trace of that smelly ape, call me! OK?"

"Sure-OK-bye!" Buttercup rushed to answer her next phone just as she hung up the other, "Hello?"

"Buttercup! Where are you?" Bubbles' voice squeaked on the other end.

"Uh..."

"Look, the mayor called. Blossom said they got an anonymous tip that Mojo was spotted somewhere in the Hills. We're gonna go search the area now. Will you be home soon?"

"Shit, yeah," Buttercup muttered, "I'll be there right now."

"OK, bye."

"Bye." As Buttercup ended the call she looked at both phones in her hands as she shook her head. She wasn't sure if it was just the weed but she felt dizzy as she stared at both devices. "Shit... How am I gonna do this?" she muttered to herself again.

The tomboy reached for her backpack and tossed the black phone inside. As she zipped open the black bag, her green alien mask slipped out and fell down to the metal ground below.

Mojo Jojo's eyes widened as they landed on the Halloween mask on the floor. "It... _can't_ be..." he breathed low to himself as he looked on with his jaw agape.

Buttercup lowered herself onto the floor and knelt down for the disguise. She picked it up and promptly returned it to her backpack before darting upwards once more.

Mojo Jojo watched curiously as the teenager wedged her backpack high up on a space between the metal beams. As soon as the bag was securely stashed, the Powerpuff shot off into the night sky with a bright flash of green light.

The villain then stepped out from his hiding place and quickly rushed for the edge of the tower's metal railing. He looked out over the city and watched as the streak of green light faded into the distance. His eyes were still wide with disbelief as he breathed to himself once more, " _It was you_."


	11. The Unidentifiable

**Villain: Redux**

By: Yay Ninja Bob

* * *

_Author's Note:_

HAPPY HALLOWEEN GUYS!

I wish I had a spookier horror-filled chapter to post on Halloween, but I guess there is always that crazy kid running around in a mask so HEY! I'd say that's pretty Halloween-y!

Personally this was one of my most favorite chapters to write so far, so it's pretty neat-o to be sharing it on one of my most favorite holidays, too. I really really hope that you all enjoy it and find the extra length to be a bonus little holiday treat heh. If you manage to make it to the end of this chapter's journey please do leave a comment/review behind and let me know what you think! It's always appreciated, but this is one of those chapters I'd extra appreciate the feedback. :)

Alright, I hope everyone has an awesome spoopy holiday! Thanks again for reading!

* * *

**Part II: Hate & War **

**Chapter 11**

**The Unidentifiable**

The Townsville Water Tower was located just on the border of Downtown, and from where he sat high up on its metal landing, Mojo had a clear view of much of the mainland. The night felt unnaturally long as he sat underneath the shadow of the water tank and watched the twinkle of the city lights below. It was going to be yet another night of no sleep for him, but Mojo could not rest that night even if he wanted to, or even if he tried. As his oversized brain raced with a million thoughts at once, he felt bound to the shadows which kept him safely hidden. Every time curiosity begged him to move from his hiding place, paranoia kept him locked there. Whether it was the fear of all the unknowns that complicated his predicament, or the close encounter he had just experienced, Mojo felt the need to keep hidden for much of the night. Self preservation was his priority, of course, and so for hours he remained on high alert while his eyes scanned the night sky for signs of pink, blue or green. He had seen the streaks of neon lights flash by once from the west to the east, and then again from east to west some time after, but it had been several hours since he last saw them.

As the lights of the neighborhoods below began to go out for the night, and the glow of the city dimmed, Mojo's paranoia slowly began to subside. It must have been very early into the next morning by then, and he figured even his super powered enemies had to sleep at some point. His eyes drifted upward to a spot on the metal beams directly underneath the water tank above him. Now was his chance to begin his next investigation.

The climb up the sleek metal beamed structure was slippery, but nothing compared to the difficult ascent he had had to make up the tower's ladder. Once he had pulled himself up onto the wide surface of the first beam, with a concentrated balance, Mojo was able to march right up to the tattered, dark backpack that had been wedged underneath the water tank's base and snatch it for himself. Once he had the black bag in hand, he slid back down to the surface below.

Mojo sat down again on the metal floor, unzipped the backpack, and quickly discovered a green alien face which peered back at him from inside. He took the plastic Halloween mask in his hands and held it out before him as his mind flashed back to the first time he had seen the alien face wander into his cell back at the Villains Ward. It was most definitely the same face that stared back at him then. All night his mind had debated whether or not his own eyes had fooled him somehow as he watched the teenager with the unmistakable 'V' shaped facial mark seemingly store away the very evidence that would link the hero to the crime of the decade. But with the confirmation there, literally right in his grasp, there was absolutely no denying it. The alien faced intruder- Princess' lackey- possibly the most wanted outlaw other than Mojo himself- was none other than Buttercup.

As he stared into the empty eye sockets of the blank faced disguise, a devious grin slowly began to sweep Mojo's face. The very identity that was still a mystery to everyone else in Townsville, he had managed to uncover. At last, Mojo felt as if he held something that could turn his fate around for the better. The very idea of having a piece of knowledge that nobody else possessed was enough to empower the villain for the first time in years. His mind raced with an endless stream of possibilities- it was only a matter of narrowing down those possibilities to the best way he could weaponize this new vital piece of information.

Knowledge was power, and having power over his enemies would be key to his survival. However, Mojo knew that even with this newfound advantage, there was still much he did not know. Clearly from what he had witnessed earlier, the green Puff had managed to fool everyone, and was secretly living some sort of double-life. However, what were the true motivations behind this? From his previous night's research, Mojo had discovered a sea of mystery surrounding the green Powerpuff, and now things had just gotten all the more curious. In order to proceed, he would need more answers, and as he held the alien mask in his hands, he knew he held the key to finding those answers.

Mojo snatched his bag of stolen goods next and quickly emptied it. Amongst all his treasures, he had taken all the engineering equipment and tools Morbucks had provided for the construction of her blaster rayguns, as well as whatever scraps of metal and wires that remained from that project, Princess' laptop computer, a digital alarm clock radio, an assortment of jewelry and about a dozen different luxury watches he had uncovered in Master Morbucks' suite. As the simian sorted through his supplies, he cackled maniacally to himself as his next course of action came clearer into focus in his mind then.

With sunrise just hours away, he knew he would have to work quickly. He wasn't sure when the green Powerpuff would return, but he imagined completing his little project before daylight would be the safest bet for him. He picked up the alien mask once more and grinned to himself, "This may just be my own morbid sense of curiosity getting the better of me, but personally, I cannot wait to discover just who it is you really are..."

* * *

Like most nights in the super powered teenager's dreamscape, it was pitch black as far as the imaginary world stretched. The reoccurring dark world the green Puff would visit while asleep was a black empty void over a cold, dirt surface and nothing else. Usually it was the more boring of the possible dreamscapes, but it was definitely still preferred over the other most reoccurring dreams which were mainly nightmarish flashbacks. Despite the endless darkness, navigating through the void came naturally to the dreaming adolescent, and the curiosity of maybe discovering something deeper in the darkness is what kept the Puff moving forward. That night, however, it was still a complete surprise to stumble upon someone else in the darkness for the first time ever.

"Hey!" the curly-haired redhead shouted as she was bumped into in the dark, "Watch where you're going!"

"Huh?" A pair of emerald eyes shone briefly in the dark. "Oh... Princess... What are you doin' here?"

"Wait. Joey? Is that you?"

"Uh... yeah. Yeah, it's me."

"Oh, Joey," the short villainess stepped closer and wrapped her arms around the shadowy figure in the dark. "Thank goodness! I thought I was all alone here!"

"Huh... Me too..." the skinny superhero stood still as the dream version of Princess clung tighter, and remained that way for several minutes before daring to move.

Slowly, a scarred hand reached out in the dark and gently cupped Princess' face, tilting her chin upward. Their lips found one another's in the dark and met in a tender, soft kiss. Their lips parted for a moment, but found each other quickly again. Suddenly the air which had been stagnant and cold around them grew warm and was charged with a tickling surge of energy that the green Puff had never experienced before then. As the teenagers held each other, their lips pressed harder against one another's. The dream heiress let out a soft moan as a pair of rough hands caressed her face slowly and began to run through her hair while they continued to make out.

" _Oh_... _Joey_..." Princess moaned quietly again between kisses and it was enough to cause the raven haired teenager to moan softly in return.

As their breathing grew heavier in the dark, the quietness of the black void around them was suddenly interrupted by a high pitched voice in the distance. "Buttercup! _Buttercup, where are you?_ "

Dream Princess immediately halted in her kissing with a sharp gasp. "Joey, did you hear that?"

"Huh?"

" _Shh_! Listen!"

"Buttercup, please come out!" Bubbles continued to shout somewhere out in the darkness. "I can't see you! I know you're here, so where are you? Please, I had another nightmare, and your bedroom door was locked tonight! Please, Buttercup, I'm really scared!"

"The Powerpuff Girls are here?!" Dream Princess shouted as she began to pull away. "Come on, Joey! Let's go get 'em!"

"No, wait!"

As Princess slipped away from the scarred hands that held onto her, she left behind a pair of glowing green eyes that watched helplessly as she faded quickly into the darkness and soon vanished from the world completely. As a blonde, pigtailed girl came into focus next, the glowing emerald orbs narrowed as they fell upon her.

Bubbles was never a fan of her sibling's common dark dreamscape, and she would usually only make the journey there if her own sleep was haunted by nightmares. Yes, the dark world scared her, but at least even in the pitch black nothingness, she would be in the company of someone who always looked out for her.

Or so she thought.

As the pair of shimmering baby blue eyes met the glowing green at last in the dark, suddenly the dark shadow they belonged to faded deeper into the void around them. Bubbles squeaked nervously as she felt a sudden chill run down her spine and the air around her grew icy cold. She strained to see anything before her, but the faint silhouette of what she had believed was her sibling was completely gone then. She was all alone.

"Bu-Buttercup?" the blue Puff squeaked again as she looked around.

As the blonde clung to herself in the dark, she felt the damp earth beneath her feet begin to tremble as a sudden gust of wind began to blow past her. She shuddered under the growing coldness and braced herself as the wind picked up more and more speed by the second. The force of the swirling air around her was so great it tore the hairbands from her hair, undoing her pigtails, and her long, wavy blonde locks tangled with the breeze as she fought to keep her shimmering blue eyes open. The earth beneath her feet began to crack and beams of bright, blinding green light broke through and began to illuminate the land around her. The darkness around her looked as if it was being carried away with the wind that ripped past her, and a growing, deafening whistle pierced her ears as she watched the shadows gather into one concentrated area in the eerie green sky above her.

Bubbles looked on in complete terror as the dark hurricane gathered like a black bouquet of pure malice. There was something at the center of it that she could not make out, but she could tell that whatever it was, it was what held the dark, thunderous cloud formation together. As the darkness swirled above her, the ground beneath her only shook harder as she watched the shadows start to take shape.

"Buttercup!" Bubbles cried out over the loud, roaring wind and growing thunder in the sky, "If that's you! Please! Stop!"

As soon as her final plea escaped her, the dark clouds shot forward with no mercy. They formed a giant stampede of dark, raven haired stallions whose nostrils burned brightly with electric green fire. Their dark obsidian eyes narrowed collectively on the blue Powerpuff as they raced towards her all at once. The violent black storm of horses was accompanied by a piercing, screeching choir of a thousand distorted voices screaming all at once:

" _GET OUT_!"

Bubbles fell from her bed as she woke from the nightmare. When the blonde landed on the floor of her bedroom with a hard thud, she immediately broke into tears. As she started to sob, she scrambled quickly to her feet and rushed for the safety of her sister Blossom's room next door.

* * *

There was a sharp, stinging headache felt at the center of his brow as Ace awoke from where he had passed out on the living room sofa. The shades on his face had slid off at some point during his slumber, and the early morning greeted him with bright rays of loud, blinding sunshine that shone in through the window. As he forced himself to sit up right, the pressure in his head only worsened as he slowly began to regain his senses. Besides the low, steady snores heard from the other men who lay scattered throughout the room, a quietness had finally fallen upon the small home, and it was the first still moment Ace had experienced in nearly two days. The day and night before had been spent celebrating in true Gangreen Gang style with good, loud music, heaps of homegrown ganja, and bottle after bottle of cheap liquor and booze. Having not seen his friends in over six years, there was a lot of catching up to do, and definitely a lot of missed partying to try to make up for. It had definitely been a while since Ace had partied like that, and as he watched the room dizzily spin around him for several moments, he realized then that he was not as young as he used to be.

Ace leaned forward from where he sat, and searched for his missing sunglasses on the beige carpet by his feet. Billy lay on his back on the ground nearby, and easily took up much of the floor space of the small living area. Ace tried to move the slumbering giant so that he could check underneath him for his missing shades, but the massive green lunk was just too big to budge on his own. As Ace glanced about the room, he found Snake slunked across and asleep on their two-seater sofa, and Grubber was passed out on the ottoman just beside him. He then spotted his glasses resting on Grubber's face. Ace could not help but laugh a little to himself as he removed the shades and slid them back on. His friends must've had a pretty hard laugh at him being the first one to pass out last night.

As he made his way into the kitchen, there was a savory spice in the air. Arturo stood on top of a small step stool in front of the stove where a large metal cooking pot simmered over the low flame. "There's one cure for a hangover that works every time," the shortman spoke as he used a large wooden spoon to stir the orangey-red broth, "And that's Tía's menudo." He smiled at Ace, "Mornin', Ace."

"Mornin', Arturo," Ace returned the smile as he crossed into the kitchen, stopping at the sink to fill a much needed glass of water for himself.

"So good," Tyler said as he raised another spoonful to his lips. "My mom made menudo some times sure, but this shit is fucking next level, Man." He messily slurped from his spoon until it was clean, and then belched loudly. His girlfriend Betty sat beside him and rolled her eyes. Sophia giggled from across the table, and Ace took the chair beside her at the small table.

"It's a surprise you hadn't had none before," Arturo continued as he filled a yellow ceramic bowl with a generous serving of red soup, "You live with Ace and have known him for so long but he hasn't ever brought you by his mom's on a Sunday before?"

Both Tyler and Betty shook their heads as they watched Arturo step down from the stool with the yellow bowl in hand.

Arturo sat the steaming bowl of menudo in front of Ace who cleared his throat loudly and interrupted the conversation as he spoke to Sophia, "Have fun watchin' Scoob with your pops all night, Soph?"

Sophia showed off her braces with a big grin, "Uh huh, but we still have lots more to watch!"

"How is Tía doin', Ace?" Arturo stepped between them. He was not fooled by his cousin's obvious avoidance of the topic.

Ace glanced at Arturo from behind his shades and shrugged casually, "Fine I guess. She moved up north 'bout five years back now-"

Arturo shook his head at Ace. "Don't tell me you haven't seen her since, Man."

Ace shrugged as he picked up his spoon and dug at his bowl with it, "She's rolled through town a couple times since then."

"Well, do you visit her up north ever?" Arturo questioned as he looked between his tall cousin and his daughter. Ace gave another simple shrug as he slurped from his spoon. Arturo frowned as he shook his head, "Ace, are you serious?"

"What?"

"You know since my mom passed, Tía's the closest thing to an abuela Sophia's got!" Arturo looked to Sophia and frowned, "Baby Girl, please don't tell me this is the first time you've had your abuela's menudo, too..."

"Why is the meat so slimy and squishy?" Sophia asked innocently as she poked at the chunks of honeycomb tripe she had barely touched.

Arturo looked back at Ace and began to shake his head once more. "Yo, Soph," Ace began as he reached for her unfinished bowl of menudo, "If you're done with breakfast, why don't you go and get the next Scooby-Doo DVD ready for you and your dad, huh?"

"OK, but you'll watch it with us, too, right, Nino?"

"Sure I will. I got one more sick day at work, so I'll be home all day, Kid."

"Alright!" the tiny girl cheered as she leapt from her seat and skipped across the kitchen.

Arturo watched as his daughter disappeared from the room. Once she was gone, his eyes fell on Ace once more. He watched as Ace added the leftovers of Sophia's bowl to his own and continued to chow down.

"Come on, Ty," Betty said as she stood from the table next, "We got orders to fill in the garage today. Let's get started."

"Aww," Tyler groaned a little. He looked at Ace, "Can't I get a sick day?"

Ace smirked. "Sure. That was yesterday. Now get to work."

Tyler groaned again as he stood slowly from his seat and glanced at Arturo, "Don't ever room with your boss, Dude."

Arturo took a seat across from Ace and watched him quickly finish off his bowl of menudo. "Yo, you sure it's a good idea to be selling weed out of your garage, Ace?"

"I'm tellin' you, Arturo," Ace used a paper napkin to wipe the red stain from his pencil mustache, "It's all legal now. We're good."

Arturo raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. He watched as Ace collected the bowls on the table and carried them over to the kitchen sink.

" _Ninooo_!" Sophia called out suddenly from her bedroom. "Hey, Nino! Come look!"

Ace and Arturo exchanged glances before they both started down the short hallway for the first door. They found Sophia bouncing excitedly in front of the small television set inside her bedroom. "What's up, Soph?" Ace asked as he stepped inside first.

Sophia wore an eager grin as she pointed at the TV screen, "Look! Buttercup's on TV! And she's wearing the mask I gave her!"

Ace and Arturo both looked to the television set and saw that the morning news flashed with a breaking headline that read: "Leaked Footage: Townsville Prison Break." The grainy security footage played in slow motion so that the fast moving intruder could be seen.

As the video paused momentarily on the alien faced mask, Arturo blinked in confusion. "Buttercup?" he repeated.

Ace glanced from the TV to Arturo, "Yo, I thought you had meant like a literal alien busted you all out of prison," he laughed a little at first, but it faded just as soon as his gaze returned to the news broadcast, "That's just... Buttercup... in a mask..." Ace stared at the footage that played for several more moments as he slowly began to place it all together for the first time then. " _Aw, shit_."

* * *

There was already a warm pot of coffee prepared and waiting for Blossom as she made her way into the kitchen. Beside the pot sat her favorite pink coffee mug with a handwritten note in the Professor's writing beside it: "Have a good day." Blossom smiled to herself as she removed the coffee pot from its warmer and poured herself a cup. Her pink eyes wandered over to the shut doorway to her right which led down to the Professor's basement laboratory. Behind the door, she could hear faint sounds of a power drill hard at work. It wasn't uncommon for her father to lock himself away in his lab for days at a time, and usually Blossom would be there right beside him to assist on whatever project he had to complete, especially while on summer break. However, with half a dozen villains still at large, Blossom knew she was going to be busy with hero duty for yet another day, and she imagined the Professor had guessed the same, too.

She leaned against the kitchen counter behind her, lifted her coffee mug to her red painted lips and savored the warmth of the morning beverage for just a moment. It was fifteen minutes before eight that morning, and it was time to get her siblings up for the day. Blossom took her coffee with her as she ascended the stairway to their home's second floor and came to Buttercup's door first. She gently knocked and spoke through the shut door, "Buttercup, it's nearly eight. Don't forget our scheduled surveillance sweeps for today-"

"I'm up," Buttercup interrupted, speaking through the shut door as well.

Blossom reached for the door handle and turned it. Just as soon as she cracked the door open by just a jar, a force on the other side quickly slammed it shut once more.

"I said I'm up. I didn't say you could come in," her sibling muttered on the other side. "I'm gettin' dressed, ya creep."

"Sorry," Blossom frowned a little. "There's coffee downstairs if you want some," she said again through the door, but got no reply.

Blossom continued down the hall to her own bedroom and paused at the open doorway. Her pink eyes fell on her sleeping, pigtailed sister who was still wrapped in the pink comforter sheets and sound asleep in bed. Bubbles had come into her room in the middle of the night, sobbing uncontrollably from a nightmare she had. It took Blossom nearly an hour to calm her fully and get her back to sleep. She never told Blossom what the dream was about exactly, but Blossom knew that whatever it was about, it truly terrified her.

She remembered that Bubbles had also spent the night before in Buttercup's room, too because of night terrors. Ever since their birthday, Blossom could not help but notice that Bubbles was not her usual, happy-go-lucky self. The day before, Bubbles had little to say as she and Buttercup reviewed the details of the prison break briefing with her. At the time, Blossom believed that Bubbles just needed a day to rest to get back to her cheerful, bubbly self. After all, their birthday had been a long day for all of them. But after hearing her sister's hard sobs for so long the previous night, Blossom knew in her gut that there was something deeper going on with her baby sister.

Blossom rested her coffee mug on her nightstand before sitting down on her twin sized mattress, beside her sleeping sister. She reached out and gently placed a hand on the blonde's shoulder and spoke softly, " _Hey_ ," she whispered. "You don't wanna spend half the day in bed like yesterday again, do you?"

Bubbles turned over onto her side so that she faced Blossom as she peaked out from the bedsheets she had burrowed under, "Maybe..." she squeaked.

Blossom gave her a small smile, "Maybe?" she repeated. "Come on, Bubbles," she tried to encourage her, "We all agreed we'd start our surveillance efforts today, right? How about after our morning sweeps, me, you and Buttercup come back home and make a big breakfast together? We can make blueberry pancakes, if you want. We can invite Robin over, too. It'll be fun."

Bubbles kept herself wrapped in the blankets as she nodded slowly, "...OK."

Blossom smiled, "OK." She stood from her bed and retrieved her cup of coffee from the nightstand. She carried it with her over to her computer desk and sat down in her swivel pink chair as she watched Bubbles lazily rise from bed.

As Blossom waited for her computer system to start up, she scrolled through her phone to locate her favorite, daily local news podcast.

"From Townsville, this is Townsville Today. I'm Annie Goodfellow, and these are our headlines for the day..."

Blossom continued to watch Bubbles from behind her coffee mug as she floated past her, and out into the hallway. She could see that her blue eyes were still a little swollen and puffy from all the crying she had done earlier, and Blossom frowned again to herself as she watched her disappear into her room next door.

"This morning, surveillance footage from Townsville Correctional has been leaked to the press, featuring the mysterious, masked 'alien' responsible for the largest prison breach in the nation. The security footage brings to light many new details, and answers just how one individual managed to carry out what many are calling 'the crime of the decade.' Super speed, super strength, a bullet proof body and the ability to leap more than fifty feet into the air- are some of the super abilities caught on the video tapes. When questioned by the press, Mayor Bellum had this to say..."

Blossom sat up right in her chair as the mayor's voice spoke next on the news program. "While we still do not know the identity of who is behind the mask, we do know one thing, and that is that clearly, there is a new supervillain in town."

As the clip of the mayor's short press conference played, Blossom's eyes drifted back to her open doorway and watched as Buttercup stepped out from her room and into the hallway. The tomboy was dressed for the day in a pair of tattered jeans and usual black hooded jacket. Their shared bathroom was located directly across the hall from Blossom's room and she watched as Buttercup went inside and shut the door.

"More than 150 escaped convicts remain missing, including six villains. City wide searches and checkpoints are being conducted by local law enforcement, and the Powerpuff Girls have also vowed their commitment to locating all who remain at large. Meanwhile, the seventh villain of the Villains Ward, and the only one to be apprehended on the day of the prison break, Fuzzy Lumpkins, has since died from his injuries. Townsville Medical Center's hospital staff reports that he passed late into the night yesterday evening..."

Blossom's pink eyes widened a little from behind her coffee mug. This was the first time she had heard of Fuzzy's death, and truthfully, she had almost forgotten entirely about him.

"While details surrounding his injuries remain undisclosed at this time, witnesses who had been at the hospital at the time report that it was a blood-stained Buttercup who delivered the badly injured villain to the hospital with her sister Bubbles. On the night of Fuzzy's arrest, the superhero team stated that a wild pack of wolves in Townsville Forest were the ones responsible for Fuzzy's critical condition. However, it has been noted by local park rangers that the last known wolf sighting in Townsville was in 1924, leading some to speculate that perhaps the green Powerpuff- infamous for her hot temper and quick rage- may be the one truly responsible for the villain's brutal attack. This may explain why she was seen and photographed seemingly drenched in his blood that night..."

The door to the bathroom opened again, and as Buttercup stepped out into the hallway her green eyes met Blossom's. "What are you staring at?" she raised a suspicious eyebrow.

Blossom stopped her news program as she lowered her coffee mug and frowned, "Nothing." She sat her mug on her desk and watched as Bubbles came into the hallway next. Blossom could not help but notice that as soon as Buttercup's eyes fell on Bubbles, she looked away and left quickly for her bedroom once more. Bubbles' blue eyes glistened a little as she watched Buttercup slam her bedroom door shut behind her. She then sadly floated to the bathroom and disappeared inside.

Blossom rose to her feet and made her way to Buttercup's room. "Hey," Blossom knocked on the door, "Let me in, Buttercup. We need to talk."

" _Ugh_ ," Buttercup opened the door and greeted Blossom with an annoyed look, "For the hundredth time, _I know_ ," Buttercup floated back to the unmade bed and plopped down. The skinny teen counted on upon scarred fingers and repeated the assigned surveillance schedule for the day, "First sweep at 8:15 on the east side, after that sweep the coast at 11, Downtown at 2, and repeat at 5:15, 8 and midnight-"

"No, no," Blossom shook her head as she stepped inside. "Well, yes, I'm glad you've memorized your rotation, but," she paused as she shut Buttercup's bedroom door behind her, "It's not about that."

Buttercup sat up in bed and raised an eyebrow as Blossom walked over to the bed. "What then?"

Blossom sighed as she sat at the foot of Buttercup's mattress. "Bubbles had more nightmares last night."

"So?" Buttercup shrugged. "What's that got to do with me?"

"So?" Blossom repeated back, surprised by the indifferent reaction. Buttercup could definitely be insensitive, but when it came to Bubbles, she usually had a little better attitude than that. "So she was up last night with me, and up the night before with you... Buttercup, I'm worried about her. Aren't you?"

Buttercup blinked back at Blossom for a moment before letting out a long sigh. " _Look_ , she's always been a big baby. She'll get over it soon, probably-"

"Get over what happened the night of our birthday?"

"Well, yeah, I guess-"

"With Fuzzy?"

"Well, yeah-"

"And the _wolves_ , right?"

"Yeah..." Buttercup sat up more and watched Blossom rise to her feet again. The redhead began to pace back and forth, and Buttercup could tell she was trying to get at something. " _Jeez, Blossom_. Would you just tell me what it is already?"

"You know," Blossom continued to pace. "It's really important that the three of us are all on the same page, Buttercup. With all the villains free again, the spotlight is back on us, and I don't foresee that changing any time soon. It's important that each one of us does our very best to uphold the commitment we've made to protect this city. It's also our responsibility to carry out our super hero duties in a way that shows Townsville that they are safe with us, and... that they can trust us." Blossom stopped momentarily in her tracks and faced Buttercup, "You get that, right?"

Buttercup stared at Blossom, saying nothing at first, but eventually nodded, "Sure... I get it."

Blossom watched Buttercup closely for a moment before she continued, "Good. So. You understand then why you might cause more distrust with the citizens of Townsville if you were caught in another lie, right?"

"...What?" Buttercup stared for a moment, "Look, I dunno what you're talking about, Blossom-"

"Buttercup, _please_ ," Blossom interrupted. "Just... tell me the truth, alright?" She walked over to her sibling's bed once more and sat down beside her, "I'm your sister. If anyone's going to understand you, it's me. So. No more lies, OK?"

Buttercup stared back at Blossom in stunned silence for a full minute. "Blossom..." Buttercup gulped nervously, "I really don't know what you're talking about..."

Blossom frowned, "Buttercup there's no use in lying anymore about it. It's all over the news already-"

" _It is?_ " Buttercup's eyes widened as Blossom retrieved her phone from her pocket and brought something up on her web browser. The green Powerpuff's scarred hand trembled a little as it took the device from Blossom to see the latest news article. However, those nerves subsided as soon as the green Puff read the text underneath the still photo of Fuzzy's trip to the hospital two nights prior, " _Fuzzy Lumpkins dead, and hero caught with blood on her hands_..." A scowl swept Buttercup's face, "Are they fucking serious?!" The teen's green eyes quickly scanned the article, "They're saying I killed Fuzzy?!"

"What happened, Buttercup?"

Buttercup looked up from the phone and glared next at Blossom, "You don't believe this trash, do you?"

"No, I didn't say that I believed it. But you and Bubbles have hardly said a word about it, plus apparently there haven't been any known wolves in Townsville since the 1920s or something, Bubbles is clearly traumatized over what happened, and-"

Buttercup tossed Blossom's phone back at her and rose from the bed, "Forget this shit," the green Puff huffed and walked for the door.

Blossom quickly zipped over to Buttercup's door with a flash of pink light, blocking her sibling's exit. "Just tell me what happened, Buttercup, please. I could ask Bubbles, and I know if I confront her on it like this she'll tell me, but... I really want to hear it from you."

Buttercup's eyes narrowed on Blossom. "You know, Blossom," a single, long deep breath before continuing, "Did you ever stop to think that _maybe_ for once this shit has got nothing to do with me? This ain't the first time they've made up stories about me, and I'm sure it ain't gonna be the last one either! And you know... now that I think of it," Buttercup paused as both siblings locked eyes, "This ain't the first time I'm the one stuck with the bad rep, because some sister of mine couldn't handle the truth being known about her." Buttercup still held the same direct gaze with Blossom . The glisten in her bubblegum eyes was proof enough that Buttercup had succeeded in getting the message across to her. Buttercup then pushed past Blossom who slowly stepped aside without a word, "Talk to Bubbles," the scowl faced teenager muttered and reached for the door's handle, "I'll be doing my stupid surveillance sweep, alright?"

Blossom watched as Buttercup descended the stairway just beyond the open doorway. Her vision grew blurry and clouded as she felt a stinging on her cheeks, and realized then that she had begun to cry. The redhead quickly wiped away her tears as she hurried back down the hallway to her own room where she could fix her running makeup.

* * *

Buttercup stepped out onto the front porch and tried to ignore the steadily climbing pressure that was building fast from within. The skinny teen's scarred hands seemed to tremble as Buttercup held them out for inspection. There was a sharp pain beginning to concentrate at the center of both palms, and it was not an unfamiliar feeling. It was what happened whenever the young hero had been pushed too far. Medication was taken every day to try to keep the painful power surges under control, but over the years, Professor Utonium had to increase the dosage as the super powered teen's power continued to grow. However, the last surge Buttercup had reported to the Professor was nearly over a year ago, and truthfully there had been several more since then that the Professor knew nothing about.

Buttercup's entire body continued to shake as the sharp stinging in both palms began to pulsate. There was a shrill ringing that tortured both eardrums, and the higher the pressure inside the raven haired teen's head grew, the louder it got. It took every ounce of willpower to fight against the urge to clamp both fists shut and not give in to the rising power. Buttercup had developed several different tactics over time to try and combat these surges- biting one's tongue helped with the pressure, reciting nursery rhymes to oneself was a useful distraction from the pain, and when all else failed...

Buttercup stepped off the front porch, fell to the ground and instantly slammed head first into the walkway pavement. The super strengthened teen's skull cracked the cement, but was left unscathed. It was always the last resort, but it worked. The ringing, the pressure and the pain all slowly subsided and were replaced by a dizzying exhaustion. The taste of blood was still present as Buttercup lay against the pavement and waited for the world surrounding to stop spinning. It had definitely been a while since the hero had experienced a surge that bad.

" _Maybe... I should tell the Professor..._ "

Just as the thought surfaced, there was a buzzing from the teenager's cell phone. Buttercup retrieved the device and read the new text message. It was from Ace. _"Hey Kid. Got time to talk?_ "

" _Be right there._ "

* * *

"A'ight," Ace announced as he stepped back into the living room, "I just texted her, so she should be here any minute. Betty took Soph to the park for a bit, so... we should be good."

"Should be good?" Arturo repeated, "Man, you saw the news. The cops are gonna be tearing this whole city a part looking for who caused that break in! Half the video evidence they got she's talkin' to me in it, and it's me who's gonna be found out before someone hiding behind a mask!"

Ace shook his head, "Hey, don't talk to me like I'm the one who encouraged her." He lowered his shades a little to shoot Tyler a direct, harsh stare.

"Hey!" Tyler threw his hands up in defense, "I was just tryin' to help a poor, lonely kid out, Dude. How was I supposed to know Fea hooking up with that shorty would lead to this?" He looked between Ace and Arturo and only received unwavering judgement from them both. "Aw, come on," he tried again, "It ain't all that bad. I mean... you're all here now... _right_?" he looked around the room to the rest of the gang for support.

"You knowsss, that issss true," Snake said with a nodd. "We wouldn't be heresss if it weren't for Buttercupsss."

"I'm confused," Billy scratched his head, "I thought it was da Alien that brought us here?"

" _Man_ ," Arturo massaged his temple as he shook his head. He nudged Grubber who sat beside him on the sofa, "Yo, Grub. Explain it to Billy otra vez. I'm done."

While Grubber took Billy aside yet again, Tyler took his spot beside Arturo and plopped down with a grin as he tried to sling a comforting arm across his shoulders, "Dude, you gotta try and relax a little-"

" _Relax_?" Arturo pulled away from the smiling, shaggy haired punker and looked again at Ace, "Man, who is this fool?"

"Just a fool," Ace shook his head and sighed. "Ya know," Ace began again as he looked about the room, "Why don't you all just go chill out in the garage, and leave the talkin' to me and Arturo, a'ight?"

While the gang and Tyler shuffled down the hallway together, there was a knock on the front door. Ace waited until the other men disappeared into the garage before answering the door.

"Hey. What's up?" the hooded teenager wore a casual smile as Ace swung the door open.

" _What's up_?" Ace blinked back from behind his shades. "Yo, get in here already. We need to talk."

" _Jeez_ ," Buttercup muttered while stepping inside. "Sounds serious."

Ace shut the door behind her and rejoined Arturo in the living room. The two men stood side by side, with their arms crossed as they watched the teenager lower her hoodie and face them.

"I guess... it is?" Buttercup gulped a little, sensing the tension in the air for the first time then.

"It is, Kid," Ace shook his head. "Have a seat, a'ight?" he gestured to the sofa.

Ace and Arturo waited as they watched the super powered teen slowly float across the room and lower herself into the seat before them.

Buttercup smiled weakly at Arturo first, "Hey, Arturo. So... when'd you get out?"

"Cut the crap, Kid," Ace interrupted. "We figured out it was you already."

" _Shit_ ," Buttercup cursed low. "Well, you haven't told nobody have you?"

"Nah, we haven't," Ace answered. He shook his head, "You think we're in any position to be runnin' our mouths right now? Man, I got four wanted men living under this roof and if ya didn't know, harboring fugitives is a crime, and if I get found out then I'll be the one thrown in that Villains Ward next-"

"Exactly, Man," Arturo jumped in, "What can we do in this situation? Nada. So if your only concern is keeping yourself outta trouble, don't even worry about us."

Buttercup's first reaction was a sigh of relief, "Cool, Dude." The teen stopped again, sensing even more tension from the short, green man. "I mean... of course I worry about you guys. I have been, I swear. I don't want any of you goin' back to jail, or anything happening to Sophia. I just figure that as long as they don't figure out it's me, then I think we'll all be safe-"

"Man, they're already talking about me on the news like somehow I helped you plan the whole thing or something! After you and Mojo, the biggest target's on my back!" Arturo only felt frustrated with the teenager.

"OK, I get that," Buttercup held out a scarred hand in defense, "And yeah, it's true both my sister Blossom and the detectives wanna locate you to see if it might lead 'em to me, but just hear me out-" a small sly grin swept the teen's face, "Ya see, I've been following all this shit super closely from the inside, and I think we're actually gonna pull this off. I mean, they don't even have a current address on file for Ace, so they have no idea where to even start lookin' for him let alone you!"

"They're already lookin' for me too?!" Ace groaned, "Man, are you serious?"

"Yeah, see, they think if they find Ace, then they find Arturo and then they find me, but like I said they don't know where to find you, Dude! And if something comes up, I'll be around to find a way to cover it up, I'm sure."

Ace sighed heavily once more. "Man, I appreciate you tryin' to reunite the gang and all. Really, I do. Hell, I never thought I was gonna see none of them ever again and I'm grateful to have 'em back, Kid. Really, I am. _But_..." He lowered his shades a little so that he could convey how serious he was to Buttercup as he spoke low to her, "Kid. This isn't a game. If the gang goes back to prison, I will too. That means Soph won't have nobody left. You got that?"

Buttercup blinked back at Ace for a moment, taken aback by the grave attitude. "Sure... I get it. But... I promise you guys, I'ma do everything I can to keep that from happening! I swear, I will! And if any of you happen to get caught somehow, you know, I can always just bust ya out again if worse comes to worst!"

Ace studied the sixteen-year-old's face long and hard. Although he sensed her heart was in the right place, he knew that she was still young.

"Yo, Man," Arturo shook his head as he looked up at Ace, "The kid just doesn't get it, and she's not gonna. _Sabemos que ella nació en una cuna de oro_."

Buttercup glanced from Arturo to Ace, "What?"

"Nothin'," Ace sighed again. "Look, Cuppo. In order for us all to not get caught, we all gotta play it cool for a while, got it?"

"Sure. I get it."

"Cool, so unless you got somethin' really important to tell us, like the cops or your sisters are comin' for instance, then... it's probably best if ya just... stay away for a bit. A'ight?"

"...Sure," Buttercup nodded slowly, "Sure, I get it..."

"I mean it, Kid. I don't know you, and you don't know me. A'ight?"

"...Right," Buttercup frowned. "But... how long is that gonna be for?"

"I dunno, Kid," Ace frowned.

"Probably not until all of us find a way to flee the city," Arturo said with his arms still crossed across his chest, "Or shit maybe the state or the country even!"

Buttercup's eyes widened a little, "Nah, you don't have to do that-"

"Eh, I'm just speakin' the truth here. _Ya nos cargó el payaso_ , and the only way I see us staying free is if we get outta Townsville-"

"Hey, let's calm down," Ace interrupted, "We ain't there yet, a'ight?" He sighed again as he walked over to the front door, "We'll figure somethin' out. In the meantime," he reached for the door's handle and opened it. "See ya around."

Ace watched Buttercup rise from her seat and slowly float over to the open door. She lifted her hoodie back over her head as she stepped out onto the porch. Ace stood behind the door as he extended one hand out to the sulking teen.

"Here ya go," he handed the sixteen-year-old a single rolled joint for the road. "Take care, Kid." Buttercup took the joint and Ace noticed a faint glisten in her emerald eyes.

"Yeah... See ya..."

* * *

" _This ain't the first time I'm the one stuck with the bad rep, because some sister of mine couldn't handle the truth being known about her._ "

Once it was said, her sibling's words latched onto Blossom's consciousness and refused to let go. Never before had a single statement managed to rattle her so completely and so quickly. The redhead sat before her vanity mirror as she rubbed away her running mascara with a tissue. She had never been much for crying, but Buttercup's words managed to cut right through her and the tears that followed were beyond her control. As she fixed her makeup, Blossom spotted a flash of blue light zip past her open doorway. The pink Puff rose to her feet and walked directly to her circular bedroom window. She pulled back the shades and watched as the baby blue ribbon in the sky faded into the distance. Bubbles was clearly headed north, only her sister's first assigned area for their scheduled morning sweeps was supposed to be the coastline in the west.

" _Talk to Bubbles_."

That's what Buttercup had told her, and that was precisely what Blossom intended to do.

* * *

There was a quiet stillness in the forest that morning as Bubbles touched down on the grassy floor. She stood several yards away from the wooden cabin home and slowly glanced around the woods that surrounded her. She could feel the steady thumping of her heart within her chest begin to beat harder as an unsettling feeling began to swirl in her belly. The bright summer sun usually illuminated the forest in a tranquil glow at that time of day, however that morning, there was a cold, thick mist that dimmed the light. The air was sour, and the young girl found it nauseating as she looked about and tried to ignore the traces of pink fur that were still scattered in places throughout the ground.

It had been two days since Bubbles had last been by her coyote sanctuary. After the horrific attack carried out by the coyotes and Victor, the blue Puff had been too scared to visit the canines. Deep down she understood that the coyotes only wanted to defend themselves, but the carnage that she had witnessed that night was all too much for the sensitive young girl to handle. The horrific memories of that night still haunted her. It was difficult still for her to be there then, but Bubbles knew her coyote friends still needed to eat, and so she forced herself to go anyway.

Bubbles shut her eyes tightly as she tried to gather the courage to move forward. " _Come on, Bubbles_ ," she spoke quietly to herself, "You can do this. They're still your friends, and they still need you. They're still good coyotes. They just... made a mistake. Everyone makes mistakes..."

As she opened her eyes, the blue Puff was immediately startled by the sight of Blossom standing beside her.

"What are we doing here?" Blossom questioned as her sister jumped back a little.

"Omigosh, Blossom!" she clutched her chest, "You scared me!"

"Sorry," Blossom looked around the forest and frowned, "So, why are we here?"

Bubbles blinked back for a moment, "Did... you follow me here?"

Blossom nodded, "I'm sorry, Bubbles. But," she frowned, "I'm really worried about you, and I just had to come see for myself." Her pink eyes settled on the cabin in the distance, "Is that... Fuzzy's old house?" Blossom glanced back to her sister and saw that her baby blue eyes were already completely flooded with tears.

The blonde threw her arms around her redheaded sister and wept loudly, " _Oh, Blossom! It's all my fault!_ "

Blossom held onto her sister as she cried into her shoulder. She gently rubbed her back as she tried to calm the crybaby, "There, there, Bubbles... I'm sure it can't be that bad..." Blossom's voice trailed off a little as her gaze next fell on a clump of pink fur just underneath her red sneakers. Her pink eyes widened as she pulled away from Bubbles and blinked down at the ground. "Is that...?" Blossom quickly scanned the woods around them once more, "This is where Fuzzy's attack happened, isn't it?"

Bubbles nodded as she continued to sob. She hid her face in her hands, as her entire body shook from her hard cries.

Blossom took Bubbles in her arms once more and tried to soothe her again, " _Shhh_ , Bubbles... _Please_ , try and calm down... Come on, Bubbles... Deep breaths, OK?"

Blossom could feel the front of her blouse becoming drenched by her sister's never-ending tears. Bubbles had always been known as the crybaby of the group, but there was a difference between the moments when her blue-eyed sister was being overly sensitive and when it was a more serious matter. This was definitely something more serious. As Blossom waited for her sister to calm down, she tried her best to not let her own racing thoughts get the best of her. It was difficult when the very sound of her sister's loud, sorrowful wailing was enough to make Blossom dread the worst.

" _Please_ , Bubbles... Just tell me what happened... I'm sure we can find a way to make it better..."

Bubbles pulled away a little and looked at Blossom. The tears still streamed down her flushed cheeks, "I'm... scared to tell you, Blossom... I-I want to, but... I'm scared, y-you know?"

"I know, Bubbles," Blossom forced a weak smile, "It's gonna be OK though, so... just take a deep breath, and tell me what happened."

Bubbles wiped at her tears and sniffled loudly. She took a single, long deep breath before forcing herself to confess: "All-I-wanted-to-do-was-just-help-my-friends-and-when-the-Professor-said-I-couldn't-have-the-coyotes-around-our-house-anymore-I-just-wanted-to-find-a-place-where-they-could-all-live-and-be-happy-and-where-I-could-come-see-them-everyday-and-care-for-them-and-when-I-found-Fuzzy's-house-and-told-the-coyotes-they-could-all-live-there-I-didn't-know-that-he-was-ever-gonna-come-back-but-he-did-and-I-still-dunno-who-started-it-but-all-I-know-is-that-it's-my-fault-that-Fuzzy-was-ripped-to-shreds-and-then-I-lied-and-told-you-and-the-police-that-it-was-wolves-because-I-really-didn't-want-the-coyotes-to-get-in-trouble-but-then-last-night-the-news-said-he-was-dead-and-they-think-Buttercup-has-something-to-do-with-it-but-really-she-was-only-trying-to-help-and-now-Fuzzy's-dead-and-I-think-Buttercup-hates-me-and-it's all my fault!"

The blonde burst into sobs once more as Blossom wrapped her arms around her again. "So... it was... _coyotes_ that killed Fuzzy?"

Bubbles nodded.

"And you just lied about it because... these coyotes are your friends?"

Bubbles nodded again.

Blossom could not help but breathe a deep sigh of relief, " _Oh, thank God_..."

Bubbles pulled away and blinked at Blossom.

"Sorry," Blossom smiled weakly. "It's still terrible, Bubbles, but none of it is really your fault. I mean... they're animals, right? It's just what they do. It's sad what happened to Fuzzy, but... well, it's still so much better than any of the other awful scenarios I was starting to imagine."

"Like what?"

"Well, Jeez, Bubbles, with how you and Buttercup have been acting, I was scared that Fuzzy had cornered you in the forest or something and Buttercup showed up and brutally beat him to the verge of death, traumatizing you in the process..." Blossom began to laugh nervously, but quickly stopped as she noticed her sister staring back at her with wide blue eyes.

" _Blossom_..." she squeaked, "How could you ever think that?"

Blossom frowned. "I don't know," she began quietly. "I just... nevermind." Blossom shook her head. "I guess with everything going on, I'm just not thinking clearly." Blossom looked at Bubbles again, "I found the same news story this morning, and shared it with Buttercup," she confessed quietly, "She's... pretty mad at me for it." The tall teen winced a little as she felt a stinging in her gut, "It's my fault though... Like you said..." Blossom's eyes began to water, but she quickly wiped the tears away before they could fall, "How could I ever think that about Buttercup?" The redhead clung to herself as she winced from another sharp pain in her stomach.

Bubbles squeaked again, "What are we gonna do, Blossom?"

"I'm not sure," Blossom frowned again, "But we should finish our sweeps, get home and... talk to Buttercup." Blossom gave a single determined nod as she quickly wiped away a final tear, "Come on-"

"Wait," Bubbles stopped Blossom with her hand. "I... I still need to give the coyotes their food for the day..."

"What?"

"Every day," Bubbles gulped, "I come out here- sometimes with Buttercup- and feed the coyotes," Bubbles slung off her blue backpack and unzipped it for Blossom to see, revealing the cans of dog food inside. "There's not a lot of food out there for them, so... if I don't feed them myself... then they'll go hungry..."

"Oh, Bubbles..." Blossom sighed deeply as she stared at the cans of dog food. She looked at the pigtailed girl and forced a weak smile, "OK," she nodded, "Let's feed them then, I guess."

"Really?"

"Well it won't do anyone any good if they go hungry. So yeah. I'll help." Blossom offered her hand to her sister, who took it with a small, surprised smile. Seeing her baby sister's face light up for the first time in days was enough to ease the unsettling nerves Blossom had lingering in her gut. She returned a sincere smile to Bubbles as they started for the cabin.

Side by side, the two sisters walked hand in hand, and disappeared into the coyotes' den together.

* * *

In all the summers Mojo had lived in Townsville, that early summer day had to be the most brutal heat he had ever experienced. The shadow of the water tank provided some, but very little relief. Just outside the shaded area, the metal surface of the tower landing had become scalding hot to the touch, and so the barefooted simian was once again bound to the shadows. However even if he could leave his hideout, it was probably best for the wanted villain to stay put for the time being. From where he sat, he had a clear view of City Square. Townsville's police headquarters sat just beyond the capitol and there was a steady flow of black and white units traveling to and from the station. With the police in the streets, and the Puffs in the skies... was there truly any safe place for Mojo?

Beyond City Square sat the heart of Downtown. The main street below was lined with billboards that flashed with alternating electronic advertisements. Mojo had noticed the biggest screen that shone from the center of the city displayed coverage from the local twenty-four hour news network. He imagined the tall building that housed the giant electronic display was the news station itself. Although the screen's captions were too far to read from where he sat, Mojo still had a clear enough view of the images to know more or less what they were discussing. All night and morning the stories repeated time and time again on a never ending loop- the prison break, the missing villains, the masked alien and the latest one to premiere that very early morning as Mojo worked on his latest project- a curious photo taken of a blood-soaked green Puff, carrying what appeared to be a lifeless Fuzzy Lumpkins into the hospital.

Mojo was not sure what to make of the last story. The still photograph the pundits seemed to debate over was accompanied with interviews of hospital staff, and the sepia toned mugshot of Fuzzy was enough to suggest that the sasquatch had not survived. This would explain why he was not being reported as one of the six remaining villains at large. It was a pity, really. Truthfully, Mojo had always found the hollering hillbilly to be largely annoying and his tactics were crude to say the least. However he had been a villain just like him, and that had always been enough for Mojo to respect him in some way. It was a sad thing to learn that his freedom had been cut so short, and in such a seemingly brutal way.

Although Mojo could not decipher what was being discussed exactly, from the photo they focused on so heavily alone, Mojo imagined that they were suggesting that the green Puff was the one responsible for Fuzzy's untimely demise. Having been the victim to the Powerpuff's beatdowns in the past himself, Mojo could only imagine just how powerful his former enemies had grown over the course of the past six years. It was still strange to imagine one of the heroes going so far as to kill one of their enemies though. However the Puff accused of this was Buttercup, and Mojo knew that Buttercup was secretly also this "Joey" and clearly had strayed far from the lifestyle of one's "traditional" hero during Mojo's absence. Killing was a far step to take, however. Was the green Powerpuff really capable of this? And if so... could Buttercup even still be called a hero? After all, murder was undoubtedly evil.

The more Mojo thought about it, the more he knew there was still something missing. After all, it was "Joey" who had been the one to free all the villains from the Ward in the first place. Why free Fuzzy if only to kill him? Perhaps Fuzzy somehow learned the truth too and the green Puff sought to silence him permanently?- No, even if the pink beast had seen what Mojo had seen the night before, Fuzzy would be far too slow-witted to draw the connection himself... Was it an accident then? Or perhaps... Buttercup was _innocent_? From the distasteful and grave looks the news pundits wore on their faces as they spoke beside the teenage hero's photograph, it certainly appeared as if none of them believed so.

As Mojo gazed out into the distance, he heard a loud thunk from above. Something had landed on top of the water tower's tank. A sly grin swept the villain's face as he ducked behind a wide metal beam and waited.

* * *

The heat of the burning summer sun that beat down on the back of the teenager's dark hooded jacket was so irritating, it was impossible to try and find any type of peace there on top of the water tower. The brutal heat that cooked the surface of the metal water tank was the main reason why the young stoner usually avoided day time smoke breaks. However, despite it being just barely nine in the morning then, it had already been a rough enough day. The scowl faced teen extinguished the rolled paper joint after only two puffs, and swiftly slid down the side of the water tank.

Buttercup reached for the stash box that was hidden between the metal beams of the Townsville Water Tower. The teenager tossed the unfinished joint into the shoebox, trading it for some "special" gummy bears that were easy to sneakily take later at home. After returning the pot stash to its hiding spot, the green Puff next reached for the black backpack that was nearby. A green alien mask stared back as the teen reached past it, fishing around the bundles of cash for the black cell phone that had been left behind. Sure enough, there was a text message waiting.

" _Any luck finding the monkey_?"

" _Not yet. I'll let you know_."

Buttercup tossed the phone back into the bag and watched the small black device disappear once more underneath the stacks of cash inside. The super powered adolescent remained suspended in the air for a full minute, staring at the green bills as a new idea came to mind.

" _I don't wanna see 'em go, but... if they had to... maybe this money could help the gang get outta town?_ "

The green Puff took the green mask next and held it with one scarred hand. The alien face and the hero held a staring contest for a full minute as more thoughts came to mind.

" _And if I find Mojo, Princess said she'd pay me even more... Hell, maybe I could get outta town, too... I'll have to take the mask with me in case I manage to find him during my sweeps or something... Where can I keep it where my sisters won't find it though?_ "

After some serious thought while still suspended in the air, the teenager's trusted, baggy black jacket was the simple answer. Buttercup tucked the mask underneath the heavy black fabric, and figured that as long as it was there, nobody else would find it. Also, it'd be there for whenever Joey might need it.

Slowly a small, satisfied smirk swept the youngster's face once the mask found its new home. The floating teen returned the backpack to its hiding spot, and shot off quickly with a flash of green light, failing yet again to notice the audience that had been watching from below.

Once he saw the green beam of light vanish completely in the distance, Mojo stepped out from his hiding place and cackled out loud to himself as he reached behind a metal beam for his latest work. He had hoped that the green Puff would return soon for her plastic Halloween mask, and seeing her store it directly on her person was the best scenario Mojo could have ever hoped for. With the disguise hidden inside the skinny teen's jacket, the tiny covert listening device he had built and implanted within the stitching of the mask's nylon strap should pick up on anything around it.

The short simian sat down with the newly modified alarm clock radio, extended its wire antenna and quickly hit the power button. Mojo held his breath as he held the small electronic box to one ear and adjusted the radio dial slowly. A low crackling static was all he heard at first as he searched for the correct frequency that should pair with the bug Buttercup unknowingly carried with her. Between the static, Mojo found a loud, rustling noise and he stopped to listen. The rough whooshing he heard died down, and next came a voice.

" _Great_ ," the green Puff's low muttering spoke through the radio receiver clear as day. " _They're both home already_..."

An evil grin swept Mojo's face as he placed the radio before him and turned up the volume. "Let us see what the truth is behind this alien conspiracy, shall we?"

* * *

Buttercup's sour mood only worsened the moment the superhero touched down. Bubbles and Blossom had arrived at home just a split second before, and landed on the doorstep just ahead of Buttercup. Before either of them could say a word to their sibling, the green Puff showed them each a scowl and then shot past them with a quick flash of green light.

Bubbles and Blossom frowned as they watched the bright green beam zip up their home's stairway and disappear fast into Buttercup's room, the door instantly slamming shut. The blue and pink Puffs exchanged worried glances before proceeding up to their sibling's room together.

Blossom knocked on the door first, "Buttercup? Can we talk?"

There was no answer.

Bubbles tried next, "Buttercup?" she called out as she knocked on the door, "Me and Blossom really need to talk to you. Won't you let us in?"

Still no answer.

"We know you're upset Buttercup, and we don't blame you," Blossom spoke through the shut door.

"That's right," Bubbles added next, "I'm really sorry about what the news is saying, Buttercup." The sensitive girl began to tear up as she pleaded through the closed bedroom door, "Please just let us come in and talk to you! We wanna try and help!"

Bubbles and Blossom waited in silence for several moments, hoping to hear a reply from Buttercup, but still received nothing back. The two girls frowned at one another before focusing their gaze on the door again. Their eyes began to glow as they activated their x-ray vision.

They saw that inside the room Buttercup lay on her back, reclined on her bed with her music headphones fixed to her head. The skinny tomboy had her narrowed stare focused on a spot on the ceiling. After a while she turned her head so that it faced the shut door as her own green eyes began to glow.

"You know I can see you two creeps watching me through the door," Buttercup spoke loudly through the door. " _Go_. _Away_."

The blue and pink Puffs shut off their x-ray vision and glanced at one another again.

"What should we do?" Bubbles asked quietly.

Blossom paused to think for a moment, before giving a single, determined nod. "I'm going in." She reached for the doorknob and forced the locked door open effortlessly with her super strength.

As soon as the door was forced open by Blossom, Buttercup shot over to the door with a flash of green light and tried to force it back shut.

"Come on, Buttercup!" Blossom struggled against her sibling's matched strength to keep the door from slamming back shut, "Just let us in! We need to have a team meeting, alright?"

"Well, I don't feel like having a fucking team meeting right now-" Buttercup may have been an even match against one sister, but the moment Bubbles lent her own strength to Blossom's efforts, it was over for the green Puff.

Blossom and Bubbles stumbled into the room together, knocking Buttercup backward onto the floor. The tomboy immediately scrambled back onto her feet and glared at both of them as she gritted her teeth.

" _GET OUT_!" the skinny teenager screamed at them both.

Bubbles squeaked quietly as she hid slightly behind Blossom who stared back at Buttercup with wide bubblegum eyes, "Buttercup," Blossom began, "Just calm down-"

"DON'T FUCKING TELL ME TO CALM DOWN, BLOSSOM! GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY ROOM NOW! YOU BOTH ACT LIKE YOU CAN JUST BARGE IN HERE AND TELL ME HOW I'M SUPPOSED TO FEEL?! LIKE THE TWO OF YOU HAVE EVER EVEN HAD TO DEAL WITH HALF THE FUCKING BULLSHIT I GOTTA GO THROUGH! FUCK THE BOTH OF YOU, ALRIGHT?! FUCK _YOU_ AND FUCK _YOU_ AND _GET THE FUCK OUT_!"

" _I know_!" Blossom shouted through desperate tears that had uncontrollably begun to fall. "You're right, Buttercup! You're fucking right, OK?! I should have known better than to think even for a moment that you would kill Fuzzy! I know now what happened, and _I'm sorry, OK?!_ You're right- it's all bullshit and it's fucked up and you don't deserve any of it!"

The never uttered before curse word on the goody-goody's tongue was enough to distract the green Puff from the steadily rising rage that had been building within. Buttercup stared back at Blossom, noticing the river of tears then for the first time. The redhead's usual perfect makeup was ruined with streaks of dark mascara that bled from her tearful pink eyes. Her face was flushed a bright red and her nose ran with snot. Some people were just ugly criers, and that was Blossom.

"I'm _so_ sorry, Buttercup!" Blossom still shouted through her tears as she sobbed even harder. "I'm sorry that there are people out there that treat you like some sort of monster! I'm sorry that I can't do anything to stop it! I'm sorry that I can't go back in time and change everything that ever happened that's caused all of this!" Blossom sobbed loudly as she threw her arms around her skinny sibling who surprisingly remained still, "Please know that every awful rumor they say about you- I-I blame myself for it! If I had never dragged you along on that mission three years ago... If I-I had just told the truth..." Blossom buried her face in her sibling's shoulder, "I'm sorry, Buttercup!"

Bubbles threw her arms around Buttercup next, "I'm sorry too! I'm sorry I lied about Fuzzy! I just wanted to protect the coyotes, and instead I hurt my own sister! Please forgive me, Buttercup!"

Buttercup felt smothered between them both as they continued to cling with all their strength and cry. The green Puff squirmed uncomfortably and tried to push them both off, "OK, OK! Fucking stop already! I can't fucking breathe with the two of you on me like this!"

Not wanting to anger Buttercup anymore, both Blossom and Bubbles stepped away from their sibling. They stood quiet for several moments as they watched Buttercup float over to her bed and plop down against the mattress. She lay on her back as she tore at her shaggy black hair before cupping her scarred hands over her face and muttering through gritted teeth, " _Ugh, I fucking hate this_..."

The tomboy peaked through her scarred fingers at her sisters for just a moment, and both Bubbles and Blossom caught a brief glimpse of her watery green eyes before she hid them quickly once more.

"So what, huh? What can either of you do about it anyway?"

Blossom and Bubbles sat upon the bed on either side of Buttercup. Each girl reached for one of their sibling's scarred hands and gently pulled them back, unveiling a pair of glistening emeralds that gazed softly up at them both.

"We love you, Buttercup," Bubbles squeaked softly.

"Yeah, and we can't change what's already happened, but," Blossom paused as she and Bubbles both tugged on their sluggish sibling's arms until the tomboy was sitting up right again. "I think we might be able to capitalize on current events in a way that might turn things around for the better if we all work together."

Buttercup raised an eyebrow, "Whaddya mean?"

"I mean, all the villains getting out might not necessarily be a bad thing for us, after all," Blossom continued to speak with a small, confident smile, "With more press coverage, yes, we will always run the risk of more negative attention, but let's not forget there's equal opportunity for good publicity too!"

"Yeah, Bloss and I were talking," Bubbles jumped in eagerly, "And we figured since we gotta round up all the villains anyways, why not make sure it's you who gets to do it! If you're the one who saves the day then they have to say nice stuff about you on the news and stuff!"

"Precisely!" Blossom nodded with a smile, "If we all work together to find the villains, once we do, Bubs and I will step back and let you prove to Townsville just how great a hero you really are!"

Buttercup glanced from one sister to the next, "Are you two serious?"

"Imagine it, Buttercup," Blossom rose to her feet and stood directly in front of the skinny tomboy. She placed one hand on her hip while she clenched her second fist in front of her. The tall redhead wore a determined look as she spoke confidently, "All six escaped villains from Townsville's notorious Villains Ward- Big Billy, Grubber, Snake, Lil' Arturo, Sedusa and Mojo Jojo- all apprehended by one mighty hero-" Blossom pointed at Buttercup with her finger and grinned, "Buttercup- _the toughest fighter_!" She held her finger there for a moment as Bubbles clapped and cheered enthusiastically behind her. Blossom clenched her fist once more, "And if that's not impressive enough, there's still the final cherry on top!"

Buttercup blinked back at both her sisters, "What's that?"

"The last dastardly outlaw to be caught- Townsville's newest, most mysterious supervillain- known only as _the Alien_ \- will also meet his end by the unstoppable green Powerpuff!" Blossom continued with loud enthusiasm, "But! Not only will the green hero Buttercup be the one to catch the Alien! She will also be the one who unmasks that freak for all the world to see!"

As Blossom proudly exclaimed the final piece to her plan, the raven haired Puff could not help but break out into laughter. The skinny teen fell back against the mattress once more and snorted loudly as the uncontrollable fit took over.

Blossom smiled weakly as she watched her sibling laugh at her earnest, but admittedly dorky delivery, "Don't laugh, Buttercup. I'm being serious."

It took a full minute for the laughter to settle. " _Ah, shit_. You guys _are_ serious." The tomboy's brief smile faded quickly to a frown.

"Of course we are, Buttercup," Bubbles said as she pulled her sibling back up once more by her arm. "We know you can do it. Right, Blossom?"

"Right," Blossom smiled.

The green Puff wore a skeptical look, glancing from one sister to the next. They both stared back with hopeful, eager grins. Buttercup sighed and shrugged, "Whatever. We'll see, I guess..."

* * *

_"The last dastardly outlaw to be caught- Townsville's newest, most mysterious supervillain- known only as the Alien- will also meet his end by the unstoppable green Powerpuff! But! Not only will the green hero Buttercup be the one to catch the Alien! She will also be the one who unmasks that freak for all the world to see_!"

As Blossom's loud enthusiastic voice spoke through the radio receiver, Mojo could not help but erupt into a fit of wild maniacal laughter after what he had just heard. The irony was too much, and the villain found it down right hilarious that the pink Puff spoke so confidently when, in fact, she obviously knew nothing. At the very least, she clearly did not know that who she spoke to was the Alien- her very own sibling and teammate.

Mojo forced himself to regain his composure and quieted his laughter as he wiped away a tear from his eye. Once his fit had settled, he could hear the transmission once more, and he was surprised to hear a similar fit of giggles coming from the radio speaker.

" _Don't laugh, Buttercup. I'm being serious_."

"... _Ah shit. You guys are serious_."

" _Of course we are, Buttercup. We know you can do it. Right, Blossom?_ "

" _Right_."

"... _Whatever. We'll see, I guess_..."

"Indeed," Mojo smirked to himself, "We shall see..."

As the pink and blue Powerpuffs continued to encourage their somber sounding sibling, Mojo continued to wear a satisfied grin as he leaned back and listened. From what he had just heard, it was easy to conclude three things:

One, Blossom and Bubbles were clearly unaware of Buttercup's secret alien persona. He had guessed as much already, but the confirmation was undeniable. They knew absolutely nothing of her involvement with the prison break, and also did not seem to possess even the slightest inkling that the Alien could be her.

Two, although the specifics were still unclear to him then, it was evident from the sisters' dramatic exchange that Buttercup was on the outs of the super hero troup. The passionate cursing the green Puff had shouted at the others was full of anger, contempt and bitterness. Whatever took place during Mojo's absence, there was obvious damage done to the triplets' once close knit relationship, especially on Buttercup's part.

Lastly, three, Buttercup not only had both sisters fooled, but it also appeared that the green Puff had them each wrapped around her finger. It sounded as if all the media gossip Mojo had discovered may have been just lies after all. Somehow, the rumors about Buttercup were a result of her sisters' actions, or at the very least, it was evident from their woeful apologies that they blamed themselves. Blossom and Bubbles were too wrapped up in their own remorse to even notice their sibling's own sin. There was an unmistakable guilt that weighed heavy on them, and Mojo imagined that that guilt alone was powerful enough for Buttercup to remain above suspicion.

No wonder she laughed in their faces.

" _Come on, Buttercup. Don't sound so sad! We're going to turn this around! You'll see_!" Blossom spoke through the radio receiver. " _Soon, they'll be calling you the greatest hero of all time_!"

" _Yeah_!" Bubbles' high pitched voice cheered loudly.

" _Sure, you two are used to all the good stories_ ," The green Puff let out a long sad sigh, " _But literally everything they ever say about me always boils down to one thing, and that's that I'm just some sorta monster now. Don't ya think 'greatest hero of all time' might be aiming too high?_ "

" _You have to think positively, Buttercup!"_ the pink Puff responded confidently _, "Come on. We have some time before our next sweeps. We should take this time to go over the evidence on the Alien again. The mayor e-mailed me the transcripts of all the witness accounts they've gathered, so let's review them together and see if we can find something_..."

" _Ugh. Fine. Whatever_."

Soon after, the Powerpuffs' chatter died down while they silently reviewed their collection of transcripts. Mojo removed his wool cap, allowing his mutant brain to breathe a little. The intensity of the summer rays was enough to make anyone's head spin, and Mojo was definitely beginning to feel dizzy as the day only grew hotter. He shut his eyes and leaned back against the metal beam structure behind him. What he'd give to have one of his specially designed temperature controlled hyperbaric helmets then. His old custom helmet would easily counteract the disorienting effects he was experiencing from the inescapable heat.

As Mojo opened his eyes, he turned his head so that he looked out towards the west. In the distance, mocking him still, was his old observatory. Mojo could barely stomach looking at the bright pastel colors that defaced his former lair, but he tried to ignore the changes and remember it for what it once was. When last he left his home, he had a closet full of helmets to wear then. He wondered what could have happened to them along with all his other possessions and brilliant inventions. They were probably all gone now...

By that point, Mojo hadn't slept in days and with the blistering sun beating down on his already tired senses, he soon found himself drifting slowly to sleep. As his eyelids grew heavy, his gaze remained fixed on the volcano top building in the distance. He watched as his mind pulled away the bright layers of green, pink and blue and underneath reamined his observatory just like he had last left it. It was his lair again- his refuge from the rest of the world- his home. As time receded further in his half-lucid slumber, the dark grey dome's exterior fell away next, and just the bare skeletal structure stood on top of the dormant volcano. Mojo's eyes closed finally as he slipped completely into the distant memory...

" _Hey, Jojo, you think you can use this_?"

" _Ah, yes, excellent, Buttercup. That will do just nicely. Once we complete construction on the dome, I can certainly use it for our ultimate design.._."

" _Cool! I saw more just like it at the junkyard! I'll be right back with more then!_ "

" _Be speedy, young Buttercup and do not linger! We cannot afford your absence for long! After all, we still have much to complete before nightfall has ended..._ "

* * *

The sounds of Blossom, Bubbles and Robin laughing happily together were muffled as Buttercup shut and locked the bathroom door. The skinny teenager slid against the shut door, and exhaustingly collapsed on the tiled floor with a tired groan. It was the first quiet moment alone Buttercup had experienced all day. Since their earlier team meeting, both Blossom and Bubbles had refused to leave their sibling's side.

What was supposed to be an individual sweep schedule had been altered quickly by Blossom that morning so that all future surveillance routes would be carried out together as a team. The team leader stressed the importance of unity and believed that if they were going to succeed in their efforts to change Townsville's attitude about Buttercup then, " _When we're out on duty, we stick together from now on! Let's remind Townsville that the three of us are a team and they can't just single one of us out_!"

All day long, the blue and pink Puff were unditchable, and the longer the day went on, the more their bright and cheerful presence wore down the green Puff. Buttercup knew they meant well, but their constant presence was draining. They thought they were helping their sibling through a mood swing, but what the sulky teen really wanted was some time alone to just _think_.

It wasn't until that evening when Robin had come by for a visit that the raven-haired teen was able to slip out "to pee" and get a long desired moment alone. The last bathroom break Buttercup had tried to take was only ruined by the constant chatter of both sisters just outside the door the entire time. Finally, with Robin there, they let their sibling go upstairs alone. For a while, all the worn-out introvert could do was lay still on the tiled floor and do nothing but silently recharge.

As Buttercup rested, pots and pans clanked distantly in the kitchen downstairs as Robin, Bubbles and Blossom began to prepare dinner together. Bubbles had requested pancakes, despite it being near seven at night. Something about Blossom promising her pancakes earlier, but Buttercup wasn't hungry and could care less what was being made. All the sixteen-year-old wanted was a break from the exhausting performance of being a true and proper Powerpuff Girl. If this was what every day was going to be like for the next foreseeable future, then it wasn't going to be easy. Already, the green-eyed superhero felt spread too thin.

" _There must be something I can do to make this shit bearable..._ " Buttercup thought.

A scarred hand slipped into the teen's jeans pocket and pulled out a small plastic baggie containing some cannabis-infused gummy bears. Buttercup sat up and quickly popped a single chewy gelatin treat before returning the baggie once more.

" _That should help..._ "

There was a knocking on the door that caused Buttercup to jump suddenly.

"Buttercup!" Blossom and Bubbles shouted on the other side.

"We gotta go, Buttercup!" Blossom continued, "The mayor called! There's a hostage situation taking place right now at Townsville City Bank! Bellum said it's three guys in orange jumpsuits so they must be escaped prisoners! Come on, let's go!"

" _Shit_ ," Buttercup muttered low before pretending to flush the toilet and responding back through the door, "Well, if it ain't any of the villains then maybe you two can handle this one without me? I'm pretty tired-"

" _What_? Come on, Buttercup! This is your chance!" Bubbles spoke through the door.

"Yeah!" Blossom spoke next, "This will be the perfect warmup before we have any real villains to face! Since when do you want to skip out on a chance to beat up some bad guys?" The redhead teased through the door, "That's not the Buttercup we know!"

Buttercup stood over the running sink faucet and stared directly ahead at the mirror. The teen took a long, deep breath before shutting off the faucet and turning to open the door. "Ah, I'm just messin' with you guys! What are we waitin' for then?"

"That's what I thought," Blossom returned a smirk as her eyes fell on her chuckling sibling. "Come on. Let's go!"

* * *

The sun had set over Townsville, and at long last there was a slight sense of relief as the temperature began to finally cool. Mojo awoke from his slumber feeling the gentle tickle of the night breeze as it blew past him. The cool air was just enough comfort to pull the sun-battered simian out of his day long daze, however the tranquil feeling was cut short by the sudden blare of police sirens sounding loudly from down below.

Mojo jumped onto his feet and instinctively darted behind the nearest metal beam for cover. His wide, paranoid eyes peaked slowly over the metal railing as his heart pounded fiercely within his chest. Had they finally come for him?

Thankfully, they had not. Mojo looked down and saw a parade of police cars speeding down the road with their red and blue lights flashing. He followed their path down the street and saw several more cop cars stopped ahead, gathered around a single building- Townsville City Bank. Mojo watched as flashes of bright green, pink and blue appeared next in the sky, landing on the rooftop of the adjacent building.

" _Alright. Here's the plan_ ," Blossom's voice spoke through Mojo's listening device receiver. " _I'll go in first and get the attention of the robbers. Bubbles, you go in through the back and assist our hostages. Buttercup, you keep watch from the rooftop and just wait for your moment, alright? When the time is right, swoop in and do your thing, Sis! OK. You guys ready?_ "

" _Ready_ ," Bubbles and Buttercup answered back.

" _Alright! Let's go then_!"

Mojo looked on and saw a pink beam of light shoot off first for the bank, followed shortly after by a streak of baby blue. There was silence on the radio receiver for a full minute and a half before a low muttering spoke through.

" _Well_ ," Buttercup sighed, " _I guess now is as good as ever_ -"

Mojo watched the neon green streak fly off towards the bank, and he heard a loud crash on the receiver soon after. Next, there was some rustling and the collective hard grunts of three men at once, followed by a big thud.

_"Nice work, Buttercup_!"

" _Yeah way to go_!"

" _Cool. Thanks, I guess._ "

To Mojo, it certainly sounded like a successful mission, but as his eyes settled on the news station vans that quickly gathered outside the scene, he knew then that the real jury had just arrived.

* * *

The dark green comforter blanket was illuminated by the glow of the teenager's cell phone from where Buttercup hid with it under the covers. From underneath the blanket, Buttercup stared at the unanswered text message with a frown. " _Hey, Ace. I have an idea. Call me before work. I'll be up_." It was nearly 4 AM by then, and the sixteen-year-old had woken up purposely at 3 AM just to covertly send the message. Buttercup knew it would be the only time the rest of the Utonium household would be asleep, and the only time Blossom and Bubbles would not be around to eavesdrop. Ace began work at four every day at his construction job, and so Buttercup figured he'd be up. However, it had been over an hour of staring at the cellular device without any sign of a reply and as the teenager watched the digital clock tick over to 4:01, there was a heavy sinking feeling that came then with the realization that he probably wasn't going to call.

Buttercup sighed deeply before popping yet another gummy bear, hoping it would be enough to keep the steadily creeping depression at bay. That was the sixth consecutive cannabis treat the teenager had taken over the course of the past hour, and by that point the young stoner had already been feeling the effects. The skinny teenager's mouth felt parched and dry with cotton mouth. There was also a strong, nagging craving for a bowl of sugar cereal that would not go away. However the usual euphoria the stoner would enjoy from the bear shaped gelatin snacks was weakened by an unwavering sense of hopelessness. Maybe seven gummy bears would do the trick?

The sad eyed teen lay in bed for several minutes, still staring at the cell phone before finally shutting off the screen and returning it to its charger on the bedroom nightstand. The munchies were officially too strong to be ignored, and so a late night kitchen raid was next.

Buttercup emptied an entire box of Lucky Rabbit King Nuggets into a large mixing bowl and drowned the cereal with a generous amount of milk. The teen went to toss the empty box of cereal into the kitchen garbage bin but first noticed the previous day's newspaper on top of the trash heap. " _Who is the Alien_?" the headline asked boldly and the curious hero could not help but pull out the trashed paper to see what sort of answers it claimed to have.

" _Who is the Alien?- Perhaps the most asked question in all of Townsville. The identity behind the green faced mask still remains a mystery to law enforcement and city officials, as day two of investigations begin. Initial descriptions released to the public of the masked villain were lacking of any substantial detail. The Alien was simply described as a slender built male who stood between an estimated five feet five inches and six feet in height. It is unfortunate that the Alien's all black attire and masked face have given investigators little to work with. However, leaked surveillance footage taken from Townsville Correctional Facility has many concerned citizens of Townsville asking no longer who, but what is the Alien?_..."

Buttercup sat on their home's living room sofa and with the giant bowl of cereal and newspaper. The teenager continued to read the front page article while simultaneously devouring spoonful after spoonful of sugar cereal. All it appeared to be was a whole lot of text that pretty much said that they knew nothing. As Buttercup's scarred finger turned the page, the next article immediately caused a frown: " _Hero's Arrest Allegedly Turns to Assault Resulting in Death of Villain_."

The teen's green eyes only lingered on the black and white photograph that featured Fuzzy's delivery to the hospital for just a moment before the newspaper was quickly tossed aside. "Fucking bullshit," Buttercup cursed with a mouth full of cereal.

" _Come on, Buttercup. Don't sound so sad! We're going to turn this around! You'll see! Soon, they'll be calling you the greatest hero of all time_!"

Sure, that's what Blossom had said, but could they really change anything?

Buttercup thought back to their previous job together at Townsville City Bank. Even though the teenage stoner had to ignore the rising effects of the edible that had been taken just before the call to action came, for the most part, it seemed like everything went well enough. The robbers were stopped, the hostages were saved, the bank's money stayed in the bank, and both Buttercup's sisters and the police there all seemed happy with the results of the evening.

The green Puff reached for the television remote on the coffee table and switched on the TV. "Let's see what they gotta say about this one..."

" _At approximately 6:58 PM last night, just as security was about to lock the doors for the evening at Townsville City Bank, three armed gunmen rushed past. The men locked the lone guard outside and then proceeded to rob Townsville City Bank while police were called onto the scene. However, by the time officers arrived, the bank robbers had barricaded themselves inside with the remaining bank staff, and it was the Powerpuff Girls who were next called into action_..."

As the news reporter read from the teleprompter, the news broadcast displayed a series of clips from the bank's captured security footage. There were three large men in bright orange prison jumpsuits, each wielding a single pistol as they guarded a scared group of bank tellers.

" _Hero Blossom was first to arrive on scene_ -" the narration continued as the footage showed a beam of pink light crash down through the ceiling. The pink Powerpuff stood far from the robbers as she pointed in their direction and seemingly spoke to them. " _-and tried to make peace with the armed outlaws_..."

Footage then cut to another camera angle which focused more on the bank staff who had all been bound with ties around their wrists and ankles. As the armed men all turned to face Blossom, they stepped further away from their hostages, and soon a fast bright blue streak of light was captured sneaking past them. " _While her sister kept the robbers distracted, it was hero Bubbles who freed hostages from their restraints_..."

" _Finally, Powerpuff Buttercup arrived last on scene_ -" The surveillance video switched back to its original view and there was a cloud of dust as raining bits of ceiling flew in all directions and a green beam of light crashed through next. As the debris rained down upon them, the three bank robbers immediately began to aim their weapons towards the air above, but before any of them could pull their trigger the raven-haired hero landed just before them. The superpowered teen quickly threw a fast right hook that successfully knocked each man hard across the jaw. Their shattered teeth hit the floor just before their unconscious bodies piled on top of one another. " _-and put her thirst for violence to good use, quickly putting a stop to the wanted men's terror_..."

"What? Put my _thirst for violence to good use?_ " Buttercup repeated with rolled eyes, "Aw, _come on_. _Seriously_? Why they gotta say it like that?"

The skinny teen slurped from the giant cereal bowl as the news broadcast continued. As the security footage ended the screen next cut to the video taken by the news network who had been on the scene. The shot was of the Powerpuffs escorting the captured, dazed and battered bank robbers to the hands of the police officers that waited outside the bank. As the exchange took place, the camera passed over the apprehended criminals as they were being handcuffed, and focused instead on the three Puffs who stood side by side behind the police officers. " _The late evening call to action was clearly an unexpected one for the teenage superhero troup. All three girls were seen on scene in their everyday attire, and a rare clear view of Buttercup's facial scarring was captured on film by local media_..."

"Aaaannnd heeeere weee gooo," the stoned teen sang aloud with another mouthful of cereal as the camera angle focused on the 'V' shaped scar. "This shit is getting too fucking predictable..."

As the news coverage's focus shifted to gossip about the young hero's deformities, Buttercup heard the sound of their front door opening suddenly. The skinny teenager leaned forward from the seat on the sofa and curiously peaked around the corner as Blossom silently floated by. " _Yo_ ," the green Puff called out just as the pink Puff passed.

Blossom jumped a little from the unexpected greeting in the dark. "Buttercup?" the redhead clutched her chest as she quickly spun round to face the shadow in the living room, "What are you doing up?"

"What am _I_ doin' up?" Buttercup repeated with a small laugh before taking another bite of cereal, "Shit, Dude, it's four in the morning. Even when _I_ break curfew it's never _this_ late." The tomboy wore a sly smirk and teased, "So what you doin' coming home at this time, Goody-Goody? Finally got yourself a girlfriend?"

"Don't be ridiculous!" Blossom answered immediately with a forced laugh as her face turned a bright red. Lucky for her, it was too dark for Buttercup to see the obviously guilt-ridden blush. "I... I was simply conducting an extra surveillance sweep, since... you know, we had the robbery and all last night. Can't be too careful!"

Buttercup gave a simple shrug before taking another bite of cereal. Blossom's excuse sounded Blossom-y enough to be believed for the time being.

Blossom glanced between her sibling and the television screen. "So. What are you doing up?"

"Just watchin' this bullshit," Buttercup answered with a mouthful of cereal.

Blossom stepped into the living room and watched the TV screen for a while. "Have they done a story about the robbery yet?"

"This _is_ the story about the robbery."

"But all they're discussing is-"

"What a freak I am," Buttercup interrupted matter-of-factly, " _As usual_."

Blossom frowned as she continued to watch the news coverage for several more minutes, before she had seen enough. She turned back to Buttercup and tried to force a weak smile, "It's only the beginning, Buttercup. It was just some low level crooks anyway. I'm sure once we manage to track one of the villains down, things will be different."

"Whatever you say, Blossom."

Blossom frowned again. She watched as Buttercup continued to stare forward at the television screen and take bite after bite of cereal. Blossom looked down at the oversized bowl that rested on her sibling's lap, "That's a lot of cereal..."

"Yeah, I'm fuckin' starving, Dude."

"It's four in the morning..."

"Yeah- Hey do you think you could check and see if we got any more of those brownie bite things in the kitchen cupboard?"

Blossom raised an eyebrow as she studied her sibling for a full minute. "... _Oh my God_. You're _high_ right now, _aren't you?_ "

Buttercup laughed a little, "Nah. What? Are _you_ high?"

Blossom stood in front of Buttercup and folded her arms across her chest. " _Seriously, Buttercup_? It's practically pitch black in here and still I can see that glazed look in your eyes-"

"Alright, alright," the green Puff groaned. "Ya caught me. Whaddya want? I had a rough day, alright? I mean look at this shit!" Buttercup gestured towards the television screen behind Blossom, "You know, if I weren't so high, I'd be pretty fucking pissed right now!"

Blossom watched as her sibling reclined back against the sofa and slunked down lazily as she clutched her giant bowl of cereal with both scarred hands. She lifted the bowl to her lips and slurped. Blossom sighed heavily as she took the seat beside her, "You swore you weren't doing that stuff anymore, Buttercup..."

Buttercup lowered the cereal bowl once more and swallowed. "Aw, come on, Blossom. Don't go rattin' on me like you usually do. Can't you give me a break just this one time?"

Blossom continued to frown as she still studied Buttercup. Normally, she would go immediately to the Professor with something like this. After all, Buttercup had only just been caught three weeks ago with weed, and already she was pushing the boundaries once more- sitting so clearly stoned on the living room sofa. However, behind the inebriated glassy green eyes, Blossom sensed something deeper happening with Buttercup.

Blossom thought back to the day before when the three of them had had their heart-to-heart. Her pink eyes glanced back to the TV screen that brightly displayed Buttercup's 'V' shaped scar, before settling on Buttercup once more. Blossom sighed heavily, "OK, fine. I'll give you a break. Just this once."

"Woah. Really?"

Blossom nodded.

Buttercup smirked. "Thanks, Red."

Blossom's bubblegum eyes widened for a moment before a small smile swept her face. It had been years since Buttercup had last called her by that nickname. "If you want," Blossom continued next, "Why don't you take today off, Buttercup? I know it's been a hard week for you, so if you need a day to rest, Bubbles and I can handle surveillance sweeps for today-"

"Woah. Seriously?"

"Well, sure, but," Blossom paused as she gave her a serious look, "I want you sobered up, and absolutely no more pot, OK? When I say I'm giving you a break 'just this once' I mean _just this once_ , Buttercup. Got it?"

"Alright, cool, sure," Buttercup smirked again.

Blossom returned a small, weak smile before rising to her feet once more. "If we find anything on our sweeps, Bubbles and I will call you so we can stick to our plan, alright? In the meantime," Blossom paused at the hallway entrance as she glanced back over her shoulder, "Enjoy your day off, I guess."

Buttercup showed a scarred thumbs up and still wore a smirk, "Thanks, Boss. I appreciate it."

The green Puff waited until the pink Puff had fully disappeared before popping another gummy bear and switching the TV station over to a horror movie marathon.

* * *

The light that cascaded through the peaks between the mostly drawn window shades created a glowing halo around the little girl's head. Arturo sat across from his daughter at the small kitchen table and looked up from the sketchpad he balanced on his lap. He could not help but stare again for another full minute as he took in every detail of the precious miracle. He'd been reunited with his little girl for three days then, and even still he experienced quiet moments of surrealness such as then.

The tiny eight-year-old had to sit upon her chair with her knees bent underneath her so that she could reach the surface of the table. Her eyebrows were furrowed in a rather serious expression as she remained focused on her own drawing. Arturo watched as Sophia exchanged her green colored pencil for a black one from the Scooby-Doo themed pencil case that sat upon the table. A brace-faced grin swept her face as she looked up and met eyes with her father, "How's your drawing coming, Daddy? Are you almost finished?"

Arturo smiled back and nodded, "All finished, Baby Girl."

"Can I see?"

Arturo turned over the sketchpad in his hands, showing Sophia the pencil sketch portrait of her he had completed.

" _Wow_ , Daddy!" Sophia's brown eyes widened as they fell upon the practically perfect replica of herself. "You're a real good drawer!"

"Thanks, mija," Arturo chuckled a little, "You know, I did a lot of drawing to pass the time when I was away from you. I wish I could show you all the hundreds of other pictures I had done."

"So you like to draw, Daddy?"

Arturo nodded.

"Me too!" Sophia grinned big before returning to her drawing once more.

Arturo smiled. He watched as Sophia lowered her black colored pencil and carefully tore the page she had been working on from her sketchpad. She leaned closer to the kitchen table as she lay the paper flat and began to fold it in two. "What about you, Baby Girl? Whatchu working on?" Arturo asked.

"I'm making a 'thank you' card!" Sophia replied cheerfully as she proudly lifted the folded white sheet up for her dad to see. "For Buttercup!"

Arturo's eyes fell upon the green alien face Sophia had drawn with the words 'THANK YOU' printed over it. His first reaction was to frown, but as his daughter stared back at him for approval, he quickly forced a weak smile, "That's really good, mija."

"Thanks, Daddy!" Sophia grinned big again. "Can you do me a favor and check that I spelled all the words right?" she asked as she slid the handmade card across the table towards her dad.

Arturo took the card in his hands and opened it, reading his daughter's writing inside aloud, " _Thank you Buttercup for bringing my dad home to me. I am very happy that he can live with me now and all my uncles too. So I just want to say thank you. P.S. Aliens are cool. Your friend forever, Sophia de la Guerra_." Arturo looked up from the card and saw that his daughter waited with eager eyes. "Yeah, mija," Arturo nodded slowly, "Looks good."

"Cool! Now I just gotta trace the words!"

As Arturo handed the paper card back to Sophia, the landline telephone that hung on the wall behind him began to ring. Arturo's eyes fell on the digital clock on the nearby microwave and saw that it was exactly three- the exact time Ace said he would call from work. He reached for the phone and answered it, "Bueno."

"Yo," Ace's voice came through on the other end. "How's it going there?"

"All good here," Arturo answered. "Sophia and I watched some more Scooby movies, we had peanut butter sandwiches for lunch, and now we've been coloring."

"Sounds great, Man. Listen, I'ma pick up a few more hours here at work, then the bus takes me an hour so I won't be home till about seven, a'ight? Think you got everything handled? Tyler hasn't been givin' you trouble, right? I know I heard that fool talkin' with Billy, Grubber and Snake about another liquor run and I threatened him pretty good before leavin this morning. I think it worked, but the fool's known to be sneaky."

Arturo laughed a little, "Yeah, Man. I heard 'em discussing the same thing earlier and I had to go into that garage and talk some sense into all those fools. Billy says he's bored and Snake and Grubber say they feel stir crazy. I said 'Whatchu talking about stir crazy?' Man, we just got out of prison! It's only been three days!"

Ace laughed on the other end, "Man, I'm glad they're all gettin' along so well, but what the hell are we gonna do with those boys, Arturo?"

"Es a'ight," Arturo laughed with his cousin, "I've been keepin' an ear out for 'em this whole time. They're still rocking out to that punk Tyler's stereo system in the garage."

"A'ight, Man. Sounds good. Yo, would ya tell Ty for me that he's gotta take care of all the deliveries tonight since I'm gonna be late here at work?"

"No problema."

"Thanks. See ya at home."

"See ya, Ace."

Arturo hung up the telephone receiver. He walked out of the kitchen and down the short hallway to the final door on the right. On the other side he could hear the thumping from the boisterous rock song that played loudly inside the garage.

Arturo opened the door and began to shout over the music, "Hey, Mr. Rock 'n Roll, your boss called-" the short man stopped abruptly as soon as his eyes fell upon the empty room. He quickly stepped inside and shut off the stereo that stood beside the door and looked around. He hoped at first that they were all just pulling a prank, but when he saw the oil stained empty spot at the back of the garage where a silver van had been parked, he knew that was not the case.

" _Pinche pendejos_..."

* * *

It had been another scorching hot summer day on top of the water tower for Mojo, but thanks to the quick supply run he had made that early morning, he was far better prepared for the heat this time around. He had spent enough time studying the streets from above to notice a pattern to the police surveillance below, and his espionage efforts against the Powerpuffs had given him insight to their exact sweep schedule, as well. With the knowledge he had gathered, it was simple enough to conclude what hours were safest for him to venture beyond the tower.

His first list of supplies was easy: something to eat, something to drink, something to write with and paper. A "borrowed" bill from the green Puff's secret money stash easily took care of everything at a nearby 24-hour market. With his wool cap pulled low, and his scarf raised high, even with peaks of his green colored skin showing, he blended in well enough. After all, he was fortunate to be located alongside East Downtown where green skin was a common attribute amongst the people that lived there. The hardest part about the villain's 2 AM venture was the two hundred and fifty foot climb back up the tower's ladder.

The short simian sat cross legged beneath the shadow of the water tank surrounded by his collection of quickly sprawled out notes, equations and rough sketches. Each sheet of notebook paper was weighed down by a single red apple, which prevented his ingenious plans from being carried off by the summer breeze. Mojo scratched his chin as he carefully reviewed what he had just written last. The simian took a bite from the apple in his hand, before using it to weigh down his final blueprint for just a moment. He reached into the small, styrofoam ice box cooler beside him and pulled out a chilled water bottle, raising it to his lips. He took one refreshing gulp, before returning the bottle to its cooler and picking up his pen and paper once more.

Behind the chimp sat the radio receiver that belonged to his simultaneous spying mission. All day long he listened out for anything that might be of use to him. However, all day long all Mojo could hear was the steady sounds of snoring and the distant noise of a television set running in the background. Mojo checked the stolen Rolex watch around his wrist for the time and saw that it was almost five thirty, and it had been more than twelve hours since he last heard a word from the green Puff.

"That child has been asleep all day," Mojo muttered to himself as he scribbled away on his sheet of paper, "What could possibly be the purpose behind guilting one's sister into being relieved from one's Powerpuffery for the day, when that day is ultimately wasted on loafing about and lazily napping? If I were in her position- Oh, if Mojo had the same power as she- a day like this would not be squandered! It would be ceased by Mojo himself for the taking, and Mojo would make the most of it! But this young Puff is nothing like Mojo! How foolish of me to think that Buttercup could be capable of tactical manipulation! I had believed she was playing her sisters for fools- repurposing her weaknesses as strength- but such slothful ignorance only indicates rather that the slight upper hand she has managed to acquire has only been achieved through sheer dumb luck!" Mojo huffed. "The child has much to learn if she thinks she can survive on luck alone. Fate's pendulum always swings both ways..."

Mojo sat down his pen and paper once more and rose to his feet. He walked about the tower deck and collected his day's work, returning everything to a safe dark spot in the corner. He knelt down and switched off the snore filled transmission that sounded from his radio receiver, and stored it away next. The sun was almost fully set, and with daylight ending fast, soon it would be too dark for him to continue plotting on paper. Under cover of darkness however, would be the time he could begin to put some of the ideas he had gathered over the course of the day into action. However, he could not begin his next project until he settled one thing first.

Mojo peeked over the metal railing of the tower and noticed that several of the main roads below had been blocked by rows of police cars. Beyond the barricades were long lines of civilian vehicles who crept slowly towards the individual check points. Each car that passed through was first stopped by a team of officers, questioned and searched before being allowed to move forward again. The check points must have been the latest new effort to try and locate more missing outlaws.

The short villain cupped his hand over his brow as he gazed far into the distance, "It would appear that the majority of police units are currently preoccupied with their stop and search efforts..." Mojo thought out loud to himself. He checked his wristwatch again for the time, "Five thirty-eight. The next scheduled flight for those accursed Puffs is not for two hours at least..."

Mojo continued to study the streets below as he walked over to the tower's ladder. His concentrated, narrowed eyes traced a path as he mentally prepared a route for himself to the west side of town. As his gaze settled on the Discovery Dome he gave a single determined nod as he declared definitively to himself, "It is time."

* * *

The blue Powerpuff was almost out the door, when she noticed her sleeping sibling still on the family sofa. Bubbles halted at the living room entrance and saw that the quilted blanket she had covered Buttercup with earlier had been kicked off during the green Puff's sleep yet again. She quietly floated over to where Buttercup lay and gently replaced the blanket once more. As she pulled the quilt around Buttercup, she could not help but giggle a little at the drool that escaped her snoring sibling's mouth. Bubbles planted a loving kiss on Buttercup's scarred cheek before turning to leave.

"Hey," Buttercup's groggy voice stopped her again. "Where you off to?"

Bubbles turned back around and watched as Buttercup sat up on the sofa and yawned big. The pigtailed girl answered with a smile, "Work."

"And Blossom?" another yawn followed.

"Tutoring," Bubbles answered. "After her tutoring she's gonna meet me outside of work for our eight o'clock sweeps. So the two of us will be home after that. I worked it out with Dr. Weaver that I'll stop by every day now between our five and eight sweeps for a couple of hours. I'll have to do it every day, but at least then I can keep about fifteen hours which gives me just enough to keep the coyotes fed."

"Oh. Well that's cool, I guess. Did you want my help feeding your mutts before work then?"

Bubbles smiled. "Thanks, but they've eaten already today."

"Really?" Buttercup questioned through another tired yawn.

"Buttercup, it's almost six!" Bubbles giggled as she watched the surprise sweep her sibling's face then. "Jeez, you must have been having some good dreams for you to wanna spend the whole day sleeping!"

Buttercup smirked for a moment, but said nothing.

"It's fine though," Bubbles continued. "Blossom said she'd help me every day she can too now."

"Oh..." the green Puff paused, "You could have woken me up, you know? I guess unless... you don't want my help with the coyotes anymore now that you got Blossom on your side-"

"Of course I want your help still, Buttercup! Victor's been missing since everything happened and I really wanted to ask for your help today to find him, but," Bubbles frowned a little. "Blossom said to let you rest today, and besides," she squeaked quietly as her baby blue eyes averted her sibling for a moment, "I... didn't want you to get angry at me for interrupting your sleep again like the other night..."

Buttercup stared back for a moment before expressing a confused look. " _Huh_? What are you talking about?"

"The other night... when I came into your dream," she gulped a little. "I'm really sorry I should've known you wanted to be left alone when I saw your door was locked that night. So... I don't blame you for gettin' so mad and making things all spooky so that I'd leave..." Bubbles gulped again, "...Even though it was really scary..."

Buttercup rose from the spot on the sofa and floated over to the tall blonde, and placed a scarred hand on her shoulder, "Aw, Bubs," Buttercup frowned. "It sounds like another one of your nightmares."

The sad look on Bubbles' face was replaced slowly by confusion. "...Huh?"

"Well, you never came by any of my dreams... Not since- what?- like a few months back when you had that nightmare about the flesh eating bugs-"

" _Ahh_! Don't remind me!" Bubbles shut her eyes for a moment as she physically shivered. Once she had shaken away the terrifying image she looked at Buttercup again and blinked, "Wait... So you never turned into a big dark scary cloud with scary green lightning and thunder and a million scary voices and horses! There were horses! Only not like regular pretty horses- they were big and scary with evil black eyes and fire coming out of their noses and-"

"Is that what happened?" Buttercup raised an eyebrow. "Sounds scary."

"It was! But... I thought... it really happened..." Bubbles paused for a moment as she tried to carefully recall the night as she remembered it, "I remember I went to your room and your door was locked and so I went back to bed and then crossed into your dream and then that's when everything got scary!"

" _Aw_ , Bubs," Buttercup showed a soft smile. "You think I'd really try and nightmare you outta my own dream like that? That's crazy!"

"I-I..." the blue Puff's voice trailed off for a moment. "So... it was just another nightmare I had?"

"Sounds like it."

"Oh..." Bubbles shook away her confusion and forced a weak smile on her face. "Nevermind then, I guess."

Buttercup still smiled while rubbing Bubbles' shoulder, "You gonna be OK, Sis? I know you must still feel pretty terrible about Fuzzy gettin' killed 'cause of your pack of mutts, and it sounds like it's still messin' with your head a little."

Bubbles frowned again. "Yeah," she nodded slowly. "I... I'll be OK. ...Thanks, Sis."

"Anytime," Buttercup smirked and levitated off the ground high enough to give the tall blonde a pat on her head. "Well. Have a good day at work!" The green Puff floated back to the living room sofa and plopped back down.

Bubbles gave her sibling a tiny wave and a weak smile before leaving. Buttercup peeked through the living room window's shades and watched as the baby blue ribbon of light faded into the dusky evening sky. A satisfied, devious looking smirk swept the skinny teen's face. "She's too easy."

Buttercup reclined once more against the sofa and reached for the TV remote, but stopped. There was buzzing felt from the cell phone inside the lazy teen's pajama bottoms and the device's caller ID caused an immediate grin. "Yo! Ty! Great timin', Dude! Listen I've been tryin' to get ahold of Ace so I could tell him-"

"H-hey, Fea-" Tyler's voice interrupted on the other end, sounding uncharacteristically nervous, "Hey, Man, you uh... got some time right now?"

"Sure. What's up?"

Tyler spoke low on the other end as he continued, "So here's what happened, right? Me and Snake and Grubber and Billy were all sittin' around, chillin' you know and then Snake says he's thirsty but like there's nothin' left in the condo. So-so we figure as long as everybody stayed in the car, it'd be cool if we ran out and grabbed a couple of forties real quick-"

"Oh no..." It was easy to see where this was headed. Usually it was Buttercup that Tyler dragged into mischief. "What happened, Ty?"

"Seriously, Dude, the guys just needed to get out for a bit! I didn't think a quick trip down the street would be all that hard but now all the cops are out here, blocking all the roads back to the condo and somehow we're caught up in this line of cars- at first I thought it was just a traffic jam- but we're gettin' to the end of it now and I can see the cops are pulling people outta their cars and shinin' lights in windows and we're like five cars away from gettin' pulled over next, Man! Aw, fuck! Four now!"

" _Shit_ ," Buttercup muttered, "Yeah, the cops said they'd be doing random traffic stops-"

"Man, ya gotta help us out! We're sittin' ducks out here! Billy was too big to fit in my truck so we're riding in that van the guys picked up the other day and-"

"Alright, alright," the green Puff could hear the panic in Tyler's voice and knew that he was serious. "Where are you guys?"

"Uh... Main Street and Warner- you know comin' back down the road from Gino's Liquor Mart- where you swiped your first beer, remember?"

"Alright. Got it." The hero felt for the hidden mask that was stored away. It had been hiding still in its only safe place, against the skinny's teen chest and underneath Buttercup's baggy pajama top. "I'll be right there. Just try not to panic, alright?"

"A-alright... But hurry, Fea! I-if the gang gets caught 'cause of me, Ace will never forgive me, Man!"

The super powered teen ended the call and quickly sped out the front door, taking off for the water tower to get dressed.

* * *

"A-alright... But hurry, Fea! I-if the gang gets caught 'cause of me, Ace will never forgive me, Man!"

Tyler heard a click as the call ended. He gulped nervously as he returned his shaking hands to the steering wheel once more. As the cars ahead of them began to move, he slowly pulled forward. There were just three vehicles ahead of theirs before they reached the police checkpoint next.

"Ssso?!" Snake shouted from the back of the van where he ducked low with the others. "What'd ssshe ssssay?!"

"She said she'll be here," Tyler answered but kept his focus on the blue and red lights that flashed in the near distance.

There had to be about a dozen patrol cars that he could count up ahead. If anyone tried to gun it through the checkpoint, they'd have a fleet of officers on their back for sure. Each car that was stopped went through the same routine it seemed. One cop spoke to the driver, while two more searched through windows with flashlights, and two others checked the rear, sometimes popping the trunk. As the team of officers finished searching a pick up truck at the front of the line, they waved through the next car and Tyler was forced to inch their minivan forward once more.

" _Aw, Man_!" the fearful-eyed punker was beginning to physically sweat, "She better get here quick!" As he adjusted the rear view mirror, he saw Big Billy lift his head up from behind the backseat. "Yo! Just try and stay down back there, alright?"

The green giant parted his shaggy red hair as he peered through the back window. "Hey look!" the cyclops shouted as he pointed, "It's da Alien!"

Snake and Grubber lifted their heads next to see. Through the rear window, they could see Gino's Liquor Mart in the distance, and upon the rooftop stood a skinny figure in black with a green alien faced mask.

"Mansss, for the millionthsss timesss, that'sss no Alien!" Snake's eyes widened, "It'sss Buttercup!"

Tyler tilted the van's side mirror upward and grinned big with relief. "Yo! It's Fea!"

* * *

Joey stood on top of the convenience store's rooftop and studied the long line of cars that led up to the flashing red and blue lights in the distance. The darkened eye sockets of the alien faced Halloween mask were illuminated by a lime green glow as they used their x-ray vision to scan each vehicle below. Joey's super-sight settled on a silver minivan that was next in line to be searched, and inside they could see Tyler, Grubber, Billy and Snake.

" _Shit_ ," Joey muttered low from behind their mask as their green eyes dimmed once more. "I was gonna swoop in and carry 'em back home, but-" the dark cloaked teen scratched at their black beanie cap for a moment with their gloved finger, "No way with all those cops being so close they won't see that it's their wanted Alien that's carryin' them off and I can't risk accidentally leadin' the cops back the Ace's. Least right now Tyler and the gang ain't caught yet-" Joey snapped their gloved fingers as a plan of action struck them then. "Ha! Got it!"

The skinny super powered teenager swiftly leapt from the roof top and travelled like a fast shadow along the pavement, running past the long line of cars within a split second's time. The rubber of Joey's black sneakers burned against the asphalt as they skittered to a stop behind the line of cops who were oblivious to the alien who just passed them all.

" _HEY_!" Joey cupped their gloved hands over their masked face as they shouted for the officers' attention, "WHO YOU GUYS LOOKIN' FOR?!" the young hooligan couldn't help but laugh as they asked the question.

As the alien snorted and snickered, the check point halted immediately as all policemen turned round to see. Once Joey saw that each officer's jaw dropped and stunned faces looked directly at them, they gave them a small wave with one gloved hand. "Hey," Joey lowered their hand and shrugged a little. "Well. See ya."

The officers looked on in stunned shock as the skinny alien took off down the road like a race car. As soon as it dawned on the officers that it was the same wanted Alien from the prison break who ran from them, they scattered immediately for their individual cop cars and followed after in quick pursuit.

The silver minivan that had been next in line at the checkpoint physically shook from the excitement of its passengers inside. Once a path had been cleared for them by Joey, the gang and Tyler drove off for home once more.

* * *

The tall redhead had only taken two steps into the small coffee shop, before the patrons inside noticed and all collectively rushed towards her. The superheroine's bubblegum eyes widened as the enthusiastic crowd surrounded her almost instantaneously. Sure, running into the occasional fan while out in public was something Blossom had always been used to, but this was the first time the young hero unexpectedly walked into an entire room full of eager-faced strangers.

"Oh, wow! It's Blossom!"

"Blossom, can I get a picture?"

"Blossom over here!"

"Can I get a picture too?!"

"Blossom you're my favorite!"

The pink Puff's cheeks were flushed a bright red while she tried to give her best smile as she politely greeted each fan. "Hi... Hello... What's your name?.. Great to meet you too... Sure, I can sign that... Hi, I like your dress... Thank you, I am a natural redhead... You guys are sweet... Hi there..."

At the back of the cafe sat the one person Blossom had planned to meet there. Robin looked on from afar as her girlfriend was bombarded by her fans. She could tell that Blossom had been surprised by all the attention, but Robin was not. During the past three days, there was no avoiding the topic of the Powerpuff Girls around town. Sure, the heroes had always been celebrities in their own right, but the spotlight on the super team had never been brighter.

It took nearly ten full minutes for Blossom to satisfy all the requests for photos, autographs and hugs from her fans. Once they had all finally dispersed, her pink eyes fell on the quiet brunette in the corner and a true smile swept her face the instant the pretty girl gave her a small wave.

Blossom collapsed into the seat across from Robin. " _Oh, Boy_ ," the redhead let out an exhausted sigh, "It's been a busy day."

Robin gave Blossom a smile, and just as she opened her mouth to speak she was interrupted by the sudden ringing of the pink Puff's cell phone.

"Just a sec, Robin. It's the mayor-" Blossom held her phone to her ear as she answered, "Yes, Mayor?"

"Blossom!" Mayor Bellum spoke on the other end with an obvious urgency in her voice, "There's been a sighting of the Alien in East Downtown! Police are in pursuit and chasing the masked villain right now as we speak!"

Blossom could not help but leap back onto her feet with a loud gasp, "The Alien?! _Now_?!"

"Yes! Right now!"

Blossom could feel herself begin to shake with growing anticipation as she clenched a single fist in serious determination, "We're on it, Mayor!"

Robin sat still at the table and watched silently as Blossom ended her call with the mayor and quickly dialed another number.

"Come _on_ , Buttercup, pick up!" Blossom spoke to herself as she bounced impatiently in place while waiting for an answer. After a few rings, the call went to voicemail. "Buttercup!" Blossom shouted into her cell, "The cops are in pursuit of the Alien right now! As soon as you get this, meet us over on the east side of town!" She quickly ended the call and returned her cell to her pants pocket, "Sorry, Robin, but I gotta go! I'll come over again and visit you tonight, OK?"

And with that, Blossom was gone with a flash of pink light.

Robin frowned at the empty seat across from her. "Nice to see you too..."

* * *

"Oh shit it worked!" Joey laughed as they glanced over their shoulder at the dozen cop cars that chased them in the distance.

Even though their quick speed was hardly a jog for the super powered teenager, Joey knew that if they moved too fast, the cops might give up on their chase too soon. They definitely had to lure the pursuing officers far away enough to guarantee a safe getaway for their fellow outlaws, and so Joey humored the cops with a steady chase for a good four or five minutes.

The blaring crescendo of the choir of police sirens behind them caused Joey's heart to beat fast as their adrenaline climbed higher as more black and white vehicles joined the hunt. The asphalt beneath Joey's fast moving sneakers sloped upward as they continued to lead the cops across the east side. Increasing their speed for just a moment, Joey quickly ascended the top of the steep street's hill and turned back to face the oncoming officers.

From behind their mask, Joey wore a giant grin as their eyes fell upon the growing collection of fast flashing red and blue lights below. The skinny teen laughed again as they mocked loudly from the hilltop, " _Is that as fast as you pigs can fly?! Ha_!"

Joey turned back around and looked further down the road ahead and saw another group of cop cars racing towards them in the distance. "Woah, reinforcements already? That only means their next call's about to be for the Powerpuff Girls," Joey looked around for a moment, before focusing their sights on a storm drain down the road to their left. "Better get outta here before they show up!"

The super powered teen was a fast moving shadow once more as they swiftly disappeared and slipped into the sewers that lay underneath Townsville. As Joey's sneakers hit the sludge covered floors of the dark underground tunnel ways, their mask's eye sockets glowed green once more as they activated their supervision. It was pitch black within the sewers, but thanks to their illuminated vision, Joey was easily able to zip across the rest of Downtown within a single blink. Once they knew they had put a good distance between themselves and the chaos they had left behind, Joey found another drain opening to make their exit.

Joey pulled their thin framed body through the barely wide enough space along the road's curb, and stumbled onto the street's pavement. The teen's damaged right eye prevented them from noticing the long black vehicle that had been traveling down the road just as they made their exit. The sudden loud screeching of the limousine's tires is what alerted Joey to move out from the vehicle's path. The dark cloaked alien clumsily tripped backward onto the curb behind them just as the limo screeched to a stop.

The narrowly avoided collision was enough of a surprise to Joey to shake them momentarily. They sat on the curb and blinked from behind their mask as they watched the blacked-out rear window of the limousine slowly lower.

"Hey!" the curly-haired redhead shouted from the window as it lowered, "Watch where you're going!"

"Huh?" Joey rose to their feet as their eyes fell on who sat inside. "Oh... Princess... What are you doin' here?"

"Wait. Joey?" Princess stuck her head out from the open window. "Is that you?"

"Uh... yeah," Joey brushed themselves off as they approached the car window. "Yeah, it's me." As Joey stood just before Princess's window, they turned their head to the left as their super hearing picked up on the sounds of more sirens approaching. They looked back at Princess. "Hey... think I can get a ride?"

Princess' brown eyes twinkled with excitement as she immediately threw the back door open. "Of course you can!" She scooted further down the black leather seat and patted the cushion beside her, "Hop in!"

Joey quickly slid into the limo and shut the door as it began to pull forward once more. Just as the tinted black window beside them was rolled up again, two cop cars whizzed past the limousine with their sirens blaring. Joey reclined against their seat and breathed a sigh of relief as they turned their head and watched them speed past.

" _Jeez_ , they're like the twentieth ones that have driven by in the last five minutes," Princess watched them too. "I wonder what's happening?"

Joey laughed a little, "Uh. I think they're all after me..."

Princess looked at the alien mask and tilted her head with curiosity.

"I kinda just out ran about twenty others on the east side," Joey admitted through a nervous chuckle. "If you haven't heard, they kinda want me for that prison break I did for ya."

"Twenty others, huh? If that's true then it sounds like all of Townsville PD is out looking for you," Princess smirked. "Guess that makes you a real villain now." She inched closer to Joey as she fluttered her eyelashes playfully, "More reason to consider that team up, right?"

Joey laughed nervously again. "Yeah..."

Princess watched as Joey removed their black beanie and shook out their shaggy head of raven hair. "Alfred and I have been patrolling the streets today looking for Mojo. You haven't had any luck yourself yet, have you?"

"Uh..." Joey was momentarily distracted by their personal cell phone buzzing in their pants pocket. They retrieved the device and glanced at the caller ID- Blossom- before quickly ignoring the call. They shut off their cell and returned it to their pocket. "Nah," Joey continued. "Haven't seen him. But... I've been out lookin' around for him too."

"Oh yeah?" Princess smiled as she looked Joey up and down, "That's pretty daring of you when you're a wanted criminal yourself now." She smirked. "You know... it'd be way safer for you if you just patrolled with Alfred and I from now on. The cops know better than to pull over a Morbucks, after all."

"Uh. Sure, I guess I can ride with you for a bit-" Joey stopped as they watched a bright pink light zip by the limousine next, traveling the opposite direction that they did and down the same path the previous cop cars had gone. "As long as we avoid all that back there," Joey completed as they turned around in their seat and looked back out the rear window at the receding beam of pink light.

Princess giggled, " _Oh my_ ," she inched closer to Joey again, "They really _are_ trying to hunt you down, aren't they?"

As the short redhead's knee brushed against Joey's they blushed from behind their mask as they looked at Princess. "S-sure are..."

Both Joey and Princess turned their heads once more as a baby-blue beam of light flew by next.

" _Show offs_ ," Princess muttered underneath her breath as her eyes narrowed. She shook away her annoyance and returned her attention to Joey. "So. If you were a monkey, where would you hide?"

Joey shrugged.

Princess twirled a loose ringlet round her finger as she paused to think, "Hmm..." The short teen's eyes fell on the road ahead of them and widened suddenly. She leaned forward in her seat, "Alfred! Where the hell do you think you're going?!"

"You said to head west, Miss-"

"Well, yeah, but I've told you a hundred times before _never_ to drive down this street! You know how I hate it!"

"I'm sorry, Miss. You had specific instructions to check everywhere so I believed today was an exception-"

"Well, _it's not!_ " Princess yelled. As the limo drove along, Joey detected a hint of panic in her wide brown eyes. "STOP THE CAR _NOW_ , ALFRED!"

The limousine screeched to an abrupt stop.

"What's wrong with this street-?" Joey followed Princess' gaze and settled on the same building ahead and they stopped. "...The... Discovery Dome...?"

As Joey's green eyes fell upon the museum, they felt their mouth go dry. The brightly colored entrance to the popular Powerpuff attraction was less than a few hundred feet away, and it was definitely the closest they had been in nearly three years time. Not since...

"Alfred," the redhead's voice was uncharacteristically quiet as she remained frozen in her stare, "...Turn the car around... now."

Princess could not see it, but behind their mask, Joey had felt just as paralyzed by the same sight. As the limousine made a slow u-turn, Joey only felt their uneasiness subside when they glanced to their left and noticed Princess' still blank stare for the first time. "...Princess? ...You alright?"

The sixteen-year-old's wide brown eyes glistened a little as she slowly blinked and began to shake her head, "Yeah..." she spoke softly as she turned her face away from Joey, "Yeah... I'm fine..."

Joey watched Princess closely as she seemed to shield her face from them. The short girl lifted a hand to her face and although she tried to hide it, Joey could tell from how her body shook that she was either fighting back tears or hiding the ones that fell then. Joey knew why the Discovery Dome made them feel the way they did, but... why did it clearly upset Princess so much?

"I..." Joey hesitated, but went on, "I... hate that place too."

Princess still kept herself faced away from Joey, but Joey noticed that she seemed to perk up a little from what they said and so they continued.

"When I was a kid... I went there and... it was the worst night of my life," Joey gulped. "Like... _the worst_. You know... I've been through some shit, but... that night was still the worst," Joey shook their head as they tried to keep the painful memory at bay, "I honestly can't look at that stupid museum without wanting to blame everything wrong in my life on its very existence. I... fucking hate it."

Princess wiped at her face before slowly turning back to face Joey again. She tried to study Joey further, but it was near impossible to read anything with their face covered. The way they had just spoken to her- Princess wanted to believe that they were being sincere, but... it was hard for the young villainess to imagine. What could be worse than the sin Princess was guilty of thanks to that museum? There was no way Joey could really hate the Discovery Dome as much as she.

"You're just saying that to be nice," Princess concluded as she turned her head away from them once more and stared out the window.

"No, I'm not," Joey frowned behind their mask. "I mean... I can tell that you're upset and that's why I told you, but... it's true. That place bugs me so much- sometimes when I get to thinkin' about what happened and it starts to really get to me- you know?- the only thing that makes me feel better is closing my eyes and imagining that whole place on fire."

Princess' eyes widened. "I... do the same thing."

"Really?" Joey turned their head and Princess responded with a nod. "...Huh. ...Cool."

Both teenagers were silent for a while. As the limo continued down the street, several more cop cars whizzed past them. Joey followed the red and blue sirens with their eyes as they sped for the east side of the city. "You know..." they spoke out loud as the idea surfaced, "With all the cops and my si- uh- er, the Powerpuff Girls all busy on the other side of town... we could do it."

Princess looked at Joey and stared for a moment. She then laughed, "What? You mean set the Discovery Dome on fire?"

"Well..." Joey shrugged. "Yeah... if ya want..."

Princess stared again. " _Joey_..." her voice was soft at first, but as a sly smile slowly swept her face, she raised her voice once more, "Oh my God! Yes! We could totally do it!"

Joey laughed a little. "Dude. Really?"

"I'm serious if you're serious!"

"Dude. I'm serious."

Princess squealed as she clapped her hands excitedly. "Ooh! This is going to be great!" She leaned forward in her seat as she called out to Alfred, "Alfred, we'll need to stop and get supplies! We'll need gasoline! And matches! And-" Princess paused as she looked to Joey, "What else will we need?"

Joey shrugged, "I think gas and matches will pretty much do the trick."

"Perfect!" Princess sat back in her seat once more and nestled up close to Joey, causing the teen to blush once more behind their mask. Princess spoke up to Alfred again, "Step on it, Alfred! Time's tickin'!"

* * *

Mojo had been standing at the base of the volcano frozen in shock for a long time. He had known the museum trip would be a difficult one to face, but until he could truly face it, Mojo knew he'd be unable to get past it. It was always there, taunting him in the distance from his view up on the water tower. It held a power over him, and that was unacceptable. He could not continue to let this "Discovery Dome" get in the way of his ultimate goal, and so there he was, ready to take his power back.

He studied the dark rock of the volcano mountain which had been polished so heavily, its surface was like dark glass now and it bore his own reflection as he stood and stared back at it. He wondered if it was even still the same volcano it used to be, or did they somehow demolish that, too? Slowly, he reached out and touched the smooth, glistening finish. Truthfully, he still wasn't sure what to make of it.

The short simian stepped away from the rocky base once more and looked to his right. The steps that had once led to the top of his lair had been replaced by a fully functional escalator. As Mojo approached it, he saw that a metal chain ran across the entrance to the motorized steps, with a sign that read: "Sorry! We're closed! Hours: 8AM - 4PM." He clutched the chain with his fist, and broke it away. The escalator was not powered then, but that did not matter to Mojo. One step at a time, he ascended to the top, as he kept his gaze focused intently on the observatory entrance up ahead.

Mojo stood outside the entrance to the museum, and got his first up-close look at the exterior walls of his old lair. The entire structure had once been made of mostly iron, among other metals, but the renovations had since replaced the exterior with girlishly pastel colored, crystal-like panels of bright pink, blue and green. He followed the colorful checkerboard patterns up to the telescope that protruded from the side of the observatory and saw that it had been repainted with the same offensive color scheme. Bright neon lights ran along the outer panels of the entire structure and illuminated the evening sky around the museum. The tiny lights blinked in an alternating fashion- first pink, then blue, then green. As Mojo watched the twinkling glow fade in and out between the colors, he swore he could hear the sound of three little girls laughing at him in that moment.

As the distant giggles grew louder in his head, Mojo clenched his eyes shut as he tried to ignore the rising pressure in his mutant mind. The chimp grinded his teeth as he felt the rage beginning to grow within him. He hadn't even made it inside, and already what he had witnessed was enough to shake his very core. The laughter grew louder and louder as his brain began to pulsate painfully. They taunted Mojo for his ultimate defeat. Not only had they imprisoned Mojo in solitude for six years, but they had also managed to take the one thing that was undoubtedly his and his alone. How dare they.

Mojo had been the one to think to utilize the once neglected and uncultivated piece of land. Mojo had been the one to ingeniously harness the otherwise useless volcano's core for energy- the very energy he imagined powered those annoying, twinkling little pink, blue and green lights. It was Mojo's innovative designs that were responsible for the massive dome structure, and it was Mojo's own brilliantly evil scheme that persuaded the Powerpuffs to build it for him. Discovery Dome? There would be no Discovery Dome if it weren't for Mojo. And as all these known truths swirled around the simian's head then, the final piece of irony to break what little sanity he had left leapt to the forefront of his mind:

There would be no Powerpuff Girls if it weren't for Mojo Jojo.

" _CURSE YOU, POWERPUFF GIRLS_!" Mojo Jojo's loud cry echoed in the night.

The short villain tore off his purple scarf and swiftly wrapped it around his fist. He shattered the tall glass entrance to the museum with a single, powerful punch. As the glass fell away, Mojo wasted no time in charging inside, and as his eyes fell on the Powerpuff-themed lobby, the rage he felt was only ignited further. His primal primate instincts took over, and there was no stopping Mojo from tearing everything in sight apart.

The nearby life sized cardboard cut-outs of the three Puffs was what Mojo shredded to bits first. He tore off the heads of his enemies and flung the heavy cardboard material back through the broken glass entrance behind him, before running on all fours further into the museum.

From the far away curved ceiling above, dangled bright pink, blue and green colored glass orbs that formed a massive double helix. The intricate glass DNA structure was the centerpiece of the main room and was next to catch Mojo's eye. He swiftly leapt upon the informational board beside it and leapt again for the dangling, twisting ladder. As he swung from the exhibit, the softball sized balls of glass shook loose and began to crash onto the ground below. Mojo forcefully shook the delicate statue with all his might, determined to see every last colorful molecule shattered forever. The short simian cackled loudly and maniacally as he watched the pieces fall and perish. Once the exhibit had been reduced to bare wires, Mojo finally let go and swiftly glided over the piles of shattered glass that coated the floor.

He stood momentarily in the center of the main room as his wild eyes darted about, searching for the next target of his rampage. They settled on a sign that pointed down a narrowing hallway labeled "Creation of the Powerpuff Girls" and the words "Powerpuff Girls" accompanied by an arrow was all it took to convince the mad ape to follow it. Once again, the chimp took off on all fours and ran directly for the next exhibit.

As Mojo rounded the corner of the narrowed hall, his mind was still focused on one thing and one thing alone, and that was destruction. However, before he reached the double doored entrance to the exhibit's room, there was a smaller exhibit further down the hall that immediately grabbed his attention and stopped him in his tracks. The madness in his eyes faded as his furious scowl softened. He turned away from the creation room's doors and slowly approached what he saw.

The exhibit piece was too small to warrant its own room and so it stood in the middle of the darkened hallway. "Mutations in Science," was the bold text that headlined the small informational plaque which stood beside the simple rectangular glass case. Displayed inside the clear box was Mojo Jojo's old villainous uniform, his boots, his gloves, his cape and his helmet. The purple, blue and white clothing was worn by a clear mannequin, as if an invisible version of himself wore it then. As Mojo stood before the sealed case, his own reflection filled out the blank faced glass head that wore his helmet, and a devious smirk swept his face slowly. There he was- the most powerful villain Townsville had ever known- Mojo Jojo.

He removed his scarf once more and carefully wrapped his hand with it again so that he could safely break away the glass. As he snatched the helmet off the mannequin's head, he could not help but erupt into another fit of loud, maniacal laughter which echoed throughout the empty museum. Once he had retrieved his trusted protective headgear, he swiftly removed the wool cap from his head and slowly lowered the helmet over his oversized brain. Once his helmet was fixed, he quickly snatched the rest of his uniform from the museum's display.

" _At last_ ," the simian spoke to himself as he fastened his purple triangular belt buckle around his waist. He removed the final piece from the mannequin with his white gloved hands- his long purple cloak- and savored the moment the draped fabric fell upon his shoulders, " _Mojo is Mojo once more_."

His echoing evil laugh filled the museum again as he celebrated his latest victory, but as he tilted his head upward his eyes fell on a tiny red flashing light that blinked on top of a surveillance camera and he stopped. "Hmph," Mojo glared at the recording device. "Even though all Mojo has taken is what is rightfully Mojo's to take, I suppose I should locate this accursed museum's security room and destroy any evidence of Mojo's activity tonight..."

As the short simian retreated back to the main lobby, he stopped again as he heard a pair of voices in the distance.

"Woah. Watch out, there's a bunch of broken glass everywhere... Jeez, it looks like somebody else came by and trashed the place before we could..."

"Huh. Well, I'm glad we're not the only ones in this stupid city who know this place deserves to get wrecked. But just broken glass? Come on, Joey. You and I can do better than that, right?"

"Ha! Right!"

"Let's go!"

Mojo hid against the wall as he cautiously peered around the corner. His eyes fell upon two teenagers running hand in hand with one another. He saw that they each carried a red canister of gasoline with them as they skipped across the room together and laughed. Mojo stepped out from the shadows as he recognized the redhead and her masked "lackey," and watched them disappear through the museum's gift shop entrance.

"Hmph..." Mojo looked on with growing curiosity, "What are the odds?"

* * *

" _Blegh_ ," a look of pure disgust swept the redhead's face the moment she stepped inside the gift shop. "Have you ever seen a bigger collection of tacky pastel garbage before in your life, Joey?"

Joey responded with a short laugh as they stood beside Princess and looked out at the same sea of Powerpuff themed merchandise. "Yeah. What sorta chump buys this crap anyway?" They plucked a Buttercup candy Pez dispenser from a nearby shelf, broke off the green Puff's head, and poured the candies into their gloved palm before tossing the broken and emptied dispenser over their shoulder.

Princess watched as Joey lifted their mask just slightly as they shoveled the small mountain of candy into their mouth. They licked their lips for a moment before lowering their mask again and venturing further into the gift shop with a red gas canister in hand. Princess smiled a little as she watched them pass. She would be lying if she said she still did not wish to see what Joey looked like behind their Halloween mask. She wondered about it quite often. So it was nice to learn that, in fact, Joey had lips- nice ones at that.

"Hey, Joey," Princess began as she watched Joey casually tip over a circular display rack of Powerpuff themed keychains as they passed it. "Can I ask you something?"

Joey turned back to face Princess and shrugged. "Sure."

Princess walked over to them, taking her own red canister of gasoline with her. "I hope this doesn't offend you, but..." she paused as she sat her canister at her feet and stood just before Joey. "When I first met you at that rock show, when I watched you on stage I thought you were a boy. Then when you said your friends called you 'Fea' 'cause it meant 'ugly,' I looked it up later to see if it really meant that and I learned it meant 'ugly girl,' so... I figured you were a girl after that. But. Your name is Joey..."

Joey laughed from behind their mask. "Uh," they paused as they scratched their shaggy black hair for a moment, "Are you trying to ask me if I'm a boy or a girl?"

Even in the dark, Joey noticed the blush on Princess' cheeks. "Well... yeah..."

Joey thought for a moment. "I don't know," they shrugged as they sat down their red can of gasoline at their feet. To Joey's left was a display shelf of Powerpuff plush dolls. "I guess..." they reached for the third shelf and took one of the green Powerpuff dolls in their gloved hands. "I guess you could say that I was supposed to be a girl, but," Joey kicked the shelf of plushies with their foot, tipping it over completely. As the display crashed to the ground, Joey tossed the Buttercup doll away with it, "I guess I was supposed to be a lot of things..."

Princess tilted her head curiously as she studied Joey whose gaze seemed fixed on the fallen display on the ground.

Joey turned and looked at Princess once more. "I don't know," they repeated again. "The more I think about it, the more I feel like I'm not really anything. Like... I don't think I'm either." They laughed a little, "I'm... not exactly what you'd call a normal human being. So yeah," they shrugged, "Boy or girl. It's all the same to me, and I don't really care what anyone wants to call me. It don't matter. None of it applies to me. That stuff's just for regular people, you know? But I'm not. I'm different."

Princess stared up at Joey. Once again, she wished she could see their face as they spoke then. "You _are_ different," she smiled a little as she picked up her gas canister once more. Joey watched as she walked past them and towards the back of the gift shop, "By the way," she glanced over her shoulder as she walked, "I like different."

Joey blushed from behind their mask, "...Cool." They picked up their gas canister once more and followed Princess.

* * *

The bright neon pink and blue lights wove through the streets of Downtown at lightning speed. The fast moving Powerpuffs had their supervision focused on every nook, backstreet and alleyway as they thoroughly searched the east side together. As they completed their fifth consecutive sweep, they slowed as they reached the heart of the city once more and ascended into the air.

" _Rats_ ," Blossom muttered as they hovered over the city. Her pink eyes still stubbornly scanned the streets below as she spoke, "Still nowhere in sight..."

Bubbles shook her head in disbelief, "It's like he vanished into thin air."

"That's impossible," the pink Puff declared definitively. "He's got to be somewhere. He can't just disappear."

Bubbles shrugged. "We know he's not a normal human. He's got a bulletproof body and super speed and super strength. What if he can?"

Blossom deactivated her supervision and looked at Bubbles. She blinked at her for a moment, before opening her mouth to speak, but was interrupted by the ringing of her cell phone. " _Finally_!" Blossom quickly retrieved her cell, assuming it to be Buttercup at last returning one of her many missed calls, but it was not. "Oh," she raised the phone to her ear and answered, "Sorry, Mayor, we still haven't found anything, but we haven't given up yet! The Alien can't be far!"

"Hello, Blossom," Mayor Bellum spoke on the other end. "Yes, our patrol units have had no luck either. However, I'm calling to report another matter."

Blossom straightened her posture as she adjusted her phone against her ear.

"We've received some calls about a possible fire at the Discovery Dome-" as soon as the mayor said it, Blossom quickly turned in the air and faced the west. Her bubblegum eyes widened as she noticed the small dark trail of smoke that seemed to rise out from one of the dome building's windows, "With all our units on the east searching for the Alien," the mayor continued on the line, "Could one of you girls investigate-"

"I see it, Mayor," Blossom interrupted with a nod, "And I'm on it." She hung up her cell and exhaled deeply, "Oh my God, what is _up_ with today?!" She looked at Bubbles. "Bubbles, I need you to stay here and keep looking for the Alien. I'll be able to take care of a fire in no time. After that, I'll go pick up Buttercup at home so we can continue our hunt for the Alien as a team," Blossom sighed heavily, "She's probably still asleep."

"OK," Bubbles nodded, "Got it."

"If you find anything call me ASAP," Blossom instructed, "I'll do the same."

Bubbles nodded again and watched as her sister shot off quickly towards the Discovery Dome.

* * *

" _Woah_ ," both teenagers breathed in unison as they stood side by side outside the open doors to the Discovery Dome gift shop. They watched in wide-eyed amazement as the glowing hot red flames engulfed the entire room before them. A child-like wonder glistened in each of their eyes as they wore enthusiastic grins and watched the hundreds of Powerpuffs burn and disintegrate within the shop.

As the flames rose higher within the room, there was a sudden small burst as the fire broke through the shop's rear window. When the tiny fiery explosion popped, Joey watched as Princess' brown eyes only grew wider as she continued to grin and stare. They had been just as mesmerized by the flames as Princess, but as Joey glanced at her then, they somehow found the fire's glow that reflected in the dark eyes of the freckle faced girl even more captivating. The fire itself was truly awe-inspiring, but Joey imagined the burning light would have been much less picturesque without the redhead there standing beside it. "Beautiful" was not a regular part of Joey's vocabulary, but as the red glow illuminated Princess then, Joey could simply not find another word for the scene. She was _beautiful_... even as she clung to the headless Bubbles plush doll in her arms.

"Come on!" Princess giggled girlishly as she took Joey by the arm and gleefully began to lead them away, "Let's burn more!"

As the teenagers scurried across the main lobby once more with their gas canisters in hand, they were unaware of the eyes that watched them closely on the security monitors.

Mojo could not help but cackle quietly to himself as he watched the gift shop's camera feed become fully snuffed by the burning fire. Once the small screen turned to static, his eyes shifted to the next monitor and he followed the teenagers while they ran together into the next room.

Mojo reclined in the security office's desk chair and wore a contemplative look. The simian scratched his chin as he pondered out loud, "Hmph. The green Puff continues to perplex me. I still cannot fathom the reason behind the child's actions. Where do the allegiances lie exactly? Buttercup with her sisters- the heroes- and Joey with Princess- a villain?- yet they are the same person! _Gah_!" Mojo threw up his hands, "There is something Mojo is missing- a mystery- a seemingly unsolvable puzzle- something which cannot be identified- and yet-!" he leaned forward in the chair once more as he watched Joey and Princess cross into the "Powerpuff Creation" room together. He focused intently on the masked teenager, using the security control board to zoom in on the alien face, "Mojo cannot help but wonder if perhaps... even you do not know?" he tapped on the screen with his gloved finger as if he could get the image to answer him, "When you hide your face from everyone, and no one knows who you are... I wonder... do you know? Yes... is that it? Mojo has asked himself what your motivations could be- what reason you have to be seemingly a hero one day and a wannabe villain the next- why is it you would choose to trouble yourself with the complexities of juggling two worlds at once... but perhaps... you are on a quest to find yourself?" as the thought dawned on him then, Mojo's eyes widened momentarily as the alien face turned and almost appeared to look directly at the camera right in that moment. "Yes..." Mojo breathed to himself as a devious smirk swept his face, "That is it. Isn't it?"

Mojo readjusted the camera's lens so that it pulled back once more, and he watched as Joey slowly approached a large movie screen within the darkened room with a gas canister in hand. The teenager soaked the bottom of the stage with a generous amount of gasoline before stepping back and gazing upward. Above the blank screen were the words: "Sugar, Spice and Everything Nice." Below that were more words that Mojo could not read from the monitor's footage.

However, Mojo did not have to see the creation exhibit himself to know that it was inaccurate. "Sugar, spice and everything nice, with an accidental dose of Chemical-X." Yes, that is what created the Powerpuff Girls. Yes, it was Professor Utonium who added the first three ingredients together. But there was no doubt in Mojo's mind that the exhibit failed to mention who it was that added Chemical-X to Utonium's concoction, and that was Mojo himself. Mojo knew they would never give him credit for the creation of Townsville's beloved superheroes, and Mojo often wished he could forget such a fact himself. However, as he watched Joey stare at the text of the infamous "creation story" through the alien mask, he could not help but wonder if Joey still remembered this truth.

" _Hmmm_..."

Suddenly, there was a flash across one of the security monitor's that stole Mojo's gaze. He returned his attention to the monitor screen which displayed the museum's main lobby. The doors to the still blazing gift shop were visible on the feed, and Mojo realized that the flash he had seen out of the corner of his eye had belonged to Blossom who now stood outside the open doorway. He watched as the pink Puff quickly utilized her ice breath to extinguish the flames.

"Uh oh," Mojo's eyes shifted once more to the creation room's monitor and saw that neither Joey nor Princess seemed aware of the Powerpuff Girl's arrival. He looked again to Blossom and saw that she was already done with the fire and appeared to look around and was surely about to begin her investigation. As soon as he saw this the short villain quickly scrambled to erase all of the footage that had been gathered that night.

Mojo quickly struck a series of buttons and switches that resulted in the collection of monitors to go suddenly blank. Once the hack was complete, he rolled the swivel chair he sat upon backwards and leapt onto his feet. As he did so, his eyes fell on a grated vent beneath the workstation and he quickly moved to remove the grate, knowing the vent could be his perfect route to safety. The chimp quickly popped the grate from the narrow passageway's opening, but then paused for a moment and hesitated.

Mojo stood once more and quickly relocated the museum's main power switch upon the control board. He flipped the switch, before swiftly disappearing into the vent and replacing the steel grate behind him.

* * *

Joey and Princess stood side by side by the room's entrance and took one final look at the Powerpuff-themed exhibit. Princess held out an open palm towards Joey as she grinned deviously at the gas-soaked room, "Joey. Another match, please."

Joey reached into their pocket and pulled out a single matchstick. They placed it in Princess' open palm, "Here ya go."

Princess smirked as she held the match. She was just about to strike it against the doorframe behind them when the lights to the museum suddenly flashed on, as well as the giant movie screen before them. Both teens jumped from the unexpected narration that began to play loudly within the room:

" _Sugar... spice... and everything nice... These were the ingredients chosen to create the perfect little girl_..."

"Oh _shit_ ," Joey quickly spun around as their mask's eye sockets glowed green with their supervision. Their x-ray vision gazed through the far wall down the hallway and Joey cursed again as they discovered a pink Puff in the lobby. " _Fuck_! Blossom's here!"

" _What_?" Princess blinked at Joey in confusion. "How do you know-?" the redhead was cut short by Joey who grabbed her by the wrist and began to pull her along as they ran.

"Come on! We gotta go!" Joey led Princess quickly further down the hallway, attempting to find another path back towards the museum entrance so they could make an escape.

"But," Princess struggled to keep up with Joey as they ran, "I don't understand!"

"I told ya Blossom is here! We gotta leave before she finds us-" Joey stopped as they came to the end of the narrow hallway. There was only one set of doors, and no other path, so Joey continued through the doors only to find it was another exhibit room that contained no other exit. "Fuck-fuck- _fuck_!" they cursed again as they spun around frantically, "There's nowhere to go!" Their instinct was to grab Princess and create a fast exit through the dome's ceiling, but Joey knew that Blossom had yet to discover that "the Alien" could fly and they ideally wanted to keep that fact a secret from her if at all possible. Still, as Blossom drew nearer, Joey feared they might not have another choice...

"Whoever is out there! I know you're here!" the pink Powerpuff's voice echoed down the hallway.

"FUCK!" Joey cursed again. They quickly scrambled to retrieve their black beanie cap from their back pocket and quickly tugged it over their head, hiding their shaggy black hair.

"Holy shit. It _is_ Blossom!" Princess' eyes widened at first, but then suddenly narrowed with determination. The redhead reached for her waistband and swiftly removed her blaster rayguns.

" _Woah_! Put those away!" Joey pushed the guns back down just as Princess raised them. "You can't just go after her!"

"What?!" Princess snapped back. "Why not?!"

Joey's vision glowed green briefly once more as they checked the hall for Blossom again. She was getting closer. "Because-" Joey thought for a moment, "Well, 'cause... 'cause what about your plan?! Uh, humiliate, torment-"

" _Torture_."

"Right, torture! And _then_ destroy, right?"

"Oh, Joey, you remembered!" Princess fluttered her eyelashes. "Does that mean you'll help me after all?"

"Sure whatever but first we gotta figure out how to get outta here!" Joey spun around again, and their eyes settled on a small vent near the back of the room. They grabbed Princess by their wrist once more and dragged her along to the square metal grate and swiftly ripped it away. "Go-go- _go_!" Joey stood behind Princess as they hurried her inside the small opening. It was wide enough for the short villainess to fit.

As Princess crawled inside the vent, Joey looked back over their shoulder with their glowing gaze once more, "FUCK!" they cursed again as they saw Blossom just steps away from reaching the shut exhibit room door. "She's here!" Joey shouted down at Princess who had just made her way into the metal shaft, "Go! Get back to the entrance! I'll hold her off!"

"What?! But Joey-" Princess was interrupted by the sudden slam of the grate behind her. She turned around and saw Joey move across the room within a blink of the eye and reach the door just as it appeared to crack open. Joey threw the weight of their body against it, immediately slamming it back shut once more.

"HEY!" shouted Blossom on the other side, and as Joey still leaned against the door, Princess could tell that Blossom was trying to force it back open.

Princess watched as Joey struggled to keep Blossom from breaking inside. They leaned their shoulder against the door and held onto the handle with one hand as the door thumped against their thin frame repeatedly. Joey looked back over their shoulder at Princess through the grate. They lifted one hand to their mask and lifted it slightly once more, showing only their mouth. " _GO_ " was the word they mouthed silently to Princess, before lowering their mask once more and returning their full attention to keeping the door shut as Blossom continued to fight on the other side.

As much as Princess did not want to abandon Joey then, there was nothing else she could do, and so she reluctantly turned back around in the vent and quickly began to crawl away.

* * *

As soon as the room's door had slammed shut in Blossom's face, she knew somebody was inside. "HEY!" she shouted as she reached for the door's handle again and tried to force it open. There was a force on the other side keeping her from doing so, and whatever it was it had to be pretty powerful to compete with the Powerpuff Girl's strength.

After struggling for several moments, Blossom's bubblegum eyes began to shine bright with her x-ray vision. She peered beyond the door and gasped to herself as her vision locked on the alien mask on the other side, "The Alien?!" The unexpected sight of the masked villain was enough to give the hero an extra boost of strength. She forced the door just open wide enough and just quick enough for her to quickly slip her right foot through the crack in the doorway as she continued to try and force her way inside, "Nowhere to run now, Alien!" she shouted through the door, "I can see that you've got yourself cornered now! Surrender now and make it easy on yourself!"

The Alien was silent on the other side.

Blossom felt the door squeeze against her wedged sneaker as she fought to keep the slight upper hand she had gained against her opponent. The Alien's strength continued to surprise her, but she still felt confident that it was only a matter of time before she would have him. Of course, in the back of Blossom's mind still was her promise to her sibling. She wasn't supposed to be the one to catch the Alien. It was supposed to be Buttercup. Blossom knew in order for that to still happen, then she would need to keep the Alien in that room until she could get Buttercup there. She carefully readjusted her position, leaning her right shoulder against the door, with her right hand still on the handle and reached for her cell in her pants pocket with her left hand. The weight of the door grew heavier as she struggled to simultaneously dial for her sister.

It went directly to voicemail. "You have reached-" Blossom ended the call before the automated message could finish.

"Dammit, Buttercup! _Seriously_?!"

She dialed Bubbles next and got an answer after the first ring, "Hello?"

"Bubbles! Go home and get Buttercup now! Bring her to the Discovery Dome! I have the Alien cornered! Hurry, alright?!"

"What?! Really?!"

"Yes! Now go!" Blossom ended the call and let her cell fall to the ground as she refocused all her efforts on the door once more. "Give it up!" she shouted to the Alien inside. "It's only a matter of time before you're caught!"

Once again, Blossom received no reply on the other side from the Alien. Little did the hero know, behind the green faced mask, her sibling was silently cursing her name right then. Joey knew that as soon as the blue Puff arrived, with the two of them on the other side... it would soon be over for the green Puff.

* * *

"BUTTERCUP!" Bubbles' high pitched call echoed throughout the entire Utonium household as the baby blue light burst through the front door. The blue Powerpuff paused momentarily at their living room entrance and saw that only Buttercup's blanket remained on their family sofa. She shot off for her sibling's bedroom next.

Bubbles knocked on the door, "Buttercup! Blossom's found the Alien! We gotta go!"

When she received no answer, Bubbles held her breath as she dared to open the door without her sibling's permission.

"Buttercup, I'm coming in, OK?!" Bubbles shouted as she turned the door knob and pushed the door open.

Bubbles stepped inside the room and quickly realized that Buttercup was not inside. She turned towards the birdcage on her sibling's dresser and quickly zipped over to the birds.

"Lorenzo! Maria! Have you seen Buttercup?" Bubbles chirped quickly.

"No, Bubbles, sorry."

Bubbles frowned as she looked about the empty room once more. "Where on Earth could she be?"

* * *

The path ahead of Princess was dark, but she hurried along as fast as she could. She wondered if once she found her way out, if she'd be able to somehow help Joey from getting caught. After all, Princess did not care for most people, but she really liked Joey. If the Powerpuff Girls arrested them, there would be no mercy. Townsville in fact already labled the Alien "a supervillain." That was reason enough to land Joey a life sentence inside the Villains Ward. If that happened... she may never see them again.

As Princess crawled through the tight tunnel path of the observatory's vent system, she could hear the distant voice of the pink Powerpuff threatening her lackey in the distance behind her. " _Ugh_!" she muttered angrily to herself as she quickly scooted upon her knees, "How _dare_ that loud mouthed redhead interrupt my otherwise perfect night out with Joey! Ooh! I can't wait until I get the chance to make her pay for this!"

The vent's path sloped upward for a while until Princess came to a point where she could either continue straight, turn left or turn right. She tried to remember just where in the museum they had just been and guess which path would lead her towards an exit, but the anxious events of the night caused the young girl to feel slightly disoriented. She hesitantly chose the left vent and continued forward. She speedily crawled along that tunnel for several hundred more feet before she began to make out another intersection up ahead. As she drew closer, her brown eyes widened as she noticed a shadow moving towards her up ahead.

"Oh," Mojo halted inside the vent as his eyes fell upon the redhead some several feet ahead on the other side of the divide, "Hello, Princess."

Princess stopped in her tracks as her jaw instantly dropped. She blinked back at the chimp in stunned shock.

"Well," Mojo's eyes darted to the path to his left momentarily, "It was nice running into you!"

Princess watched as the short simian scurried quickly down the tunnelway. She screamed.

" _AHH! GET BACK HERE YOU STUPID MONKEY_!"

" _One_ : Mojo is not a monkey!" Mojo shouted back at the furious teenager that desperately crawled after him, "Mojo is a chimpanzee- an ape! There is a difference! _Two_ : Mojo is not stupid! Mojo possesses superior intelligence and advanced intellect! In fact-" The villain stopped for a moment as he punched away the loose metal panel just before him. The long armed ape quickly slipped through the opening, and swung himself onto the dangling bare wires of the destroyed DNA structure some several feet away. He swiftly slid down the hanging wire and landed on the ground below.

Princess reached the vent opening and popped her head out just in time to see the chimp's acrobatic leap onto the floor. She balanced herself carefully as she tried to reach with one arm for the same wire Mojo had managed to grab, but it was impossible for the short girl.

Mojo turned back to face Princess and wore a smirk as he shouted up at her, "Some would call Mojo a genius!" He ran across the lobby and towards the observatory entrance, but stopped again. "An _EVIL_ genius!" he added before laughing maniacally and disappearing out of sight.

Princess screamed again as she watched Mojo make his escape. " _THIS IS NOT OVER, MONKEY MAN_!"

As furious as Princess was, she knew she still had to find her own way out. There was no way she could safely drop from the same exit Mojo had created, and truthfully since her accident Princess still had a slight fear of heights. She continued ahead until she came to another split, and chose the path that sloped downward. The petite girl flipped onto her back and slid down the long tunnel. The steep slope carried Princess quickly down the fifty-foot drop. As she reached the end of the vent, her feet conveniently kicked out the grate before her and the villainess slid out and onto the tiled floor of the museum lobby.

Princess scrambled onto her feet and rushed for the entrance. She stepped out onto the observatory deck and looked around quickly, hoping maybe she'd find Mojo still, but he was gone. "Ugh! Where could he have gone so fast?!"

Princess heard the blare of a car horn in the distance. She looked down beyond the museum's elevator steps and saw Alfred behind the wheel of her limo. He motioned for her to come, but Princess hesitated. Joey was still inside with Blossom.

Suddenly, Princess had a thought. She reached inside her pants pocket and retrieved the matchstick Joey had given to her earlier and grasped it firmly. "Keep the engine running, Alfred! I'll be right back!" Princess instructed before she hurried back inside the museum.

The teenager ran as fast as her short legs could carry her. She arrived at the Powerpuff creation exhibit, struck the match in her hand, tossed it inside the room and swiftly retreated back the way she came. "Oh God! I hope that works!"

The gasoline drenched exhibit not only successfully caught fire, but as that fire spread fast. It quickly engulfed the doorway to the exhibit, and the two abandoned gas canisters that sat on the other side were just near enough to catch the heat of the fast rising flames. Within seconds, there was a loud, fiery explosion.

Blossom physically jumped from the sudden unexpected thundering boom, and her pink eyes widened in shock as she witnessed the fiery blast just down the hall behind her.

Joey heard the same explosion on the other side of the door, and although they did not see what caused it, they could tell by their sister's loud gasp that it had surprised her. Joey immediately let go of their hold on the door, and the momentarily distracted pink Puff who still pressed against the other side with all her might landed face first against the ground as she fell inside the room. Before Blossom could react, a pair of gloved hands gripped her by her t-shirt and she was yanked forcefully back up off the ground.

Joey raised Blossom over their head and tossed her against the far wall. The back of the pink Puff's head slammed hard against the surface, knocking her into a daze upon impact, and she slid down onto the floor with a thud.

As soon as Joey had chucked the girl away from them, they bolted immediately from the room and back down the hall. The swift shadow leapt over the flames in their path and continued towards the main lobby. Just as they reached the shattered entranceway they came mask to face with the blue-eyed girl in pigtails who had just arrived.

"Omigosh!" Bubbles exclaimed in complete surprise as she nearly collided head on with the masked figure. "The Alien!"

Joey retreated immediately, moving as quickly as they could without summoning their green light trail. They had always been faster than their sisters, but that advantage was severely lessened by their handicap. No matter, Joey was determined to get out of there still without getting caught. Especially now that they had just knocked one sibling out- there was no way Blossom was going to forgive them for this.

Joey ran swiftly beyond the charbroiled gift shop, and kept their eyes peeled for another vent like the one that had saved Princess. If they could find one before Bubbles managed to close the gap between them, then maybe they could slip through before she could see them do it. Sure enough, Joey spotted a lowered vent ahead and they immediately went for it.

Bubbles rounded the same corner the Alien had just taken a split second earlier. The skinny villain was fast. She knew this about the Alien, but she still hadn't the slightest clue how fast until she came around the corner completely and realized that within that split second the Alien had managed to vanish.

* * *

Blossom rubbed the sore spot on the back of her head as she dizzily rose to her feet. It took a moment for the dazed girl to gather her surroundings. The masked villain was strong. She, of course, knew this about the Alien, but she never imagined he would be _that_ strong. It even seemed as if he possessed just as much strength as she- a Powerpuff.

As the pink Puff flew out of the room, she immediately came across the still blazing fire. The superhero drew a deep breath as she faced the flames. A powerful icestorm escaped from Blossom's red painted lips and extinguished the fire within seconds. As she did so, Bubbles appeared beside her with a flash of blue light.

"Blossom!" Bubbles shouted as she skittered to a stop. "Did you see the Alien come by here?!"

"No," Blossom answered as the final embers died away, "It's a dead end back there. I had him cornered until-" she rubbed the spot on the back of her head once more. "Nevermind... Come on, quick! Spread and search the museum!"

* * *

The vent Joey had slipped inside was a single deep sloped path. The skinny alien could not help but notice how hot the air seemed to grow around them as they quickly slid upon their belly down the slippery hundred foot drop. It was not long before they crashed through the grated opening at the bottom.

The atmosphere was so thick, and the temperature was so high in the glowing red room that Joey had first believed they managed to slide their way directly into a furnace. However as they rose to their feet and looked around, they recognized where they had ended up. It was the basement of the volcano top observatory, and that "basement" sat above a lake of red, hot magma.

There was a platform on which Joey stood and beyond that a narrowed path that stretched across a pool of lava. Joey turned around and saw that there was only one exit from the dead end- a steep staircase that led upwards. However as Joey reached the first step of the exit, they stopped as their super hearing picked up on the sonic beams of two fast flying Puffs drawing nearer. One approached from above and was coming towards that very stairway, and the other sounded as if she had managed to find the same vent system Joey had utilized and was soon zooming down the same path.

"Shit..." Joey muttered quietly as they began to back away from the staircase. Behind their alien mask, their green eyes had grown wide with panic as they darted about the room in search of an answer. As the heat of the magma intensified against Joey's back, they turned around and looked down at the fiery lake some fifty-feet below the platform.

"Well," Joey gulped, "Here goes nothin'..."

The skinny teenager lifted their mask and pinched their nose before diving into the lava below.

The Alien had sunk deep into the molten lake by the time their sisters had arrived. A blue light flashed in from the stairway as a pink light zipped through the open vent nearby.

Bubbles and Blossom both looked about the room before facing one another.

"Anything?" Blossom inquired.

"Nothing."

"Me either," Blossom frowned. "And Buttercup?"

"She wasn't home," Bubbles shrugged.

" _Unbelievable_!" Blossom could not help but feel frustrated. She sighed. "Come on. This guy can't have gotten far. Let's search outside-"

"What if he's not there either?"

"Then we'll search the entire west side-"

"But what if-"

"Bubbles!" Blossom snapped in frustration, "We'll search the whole city tonight again if we have to! Ugh! I can't believe I had him, and I let him slip right through my fingers! I was just trying to buy some time for Buttercup to get here! I should have just acted on my own!"

"OK..." Bubbles squeaked. "...Sorry."

Blossom frowned and sighed again. "It's not your fault, Bubbles. I just... _ugh_ ," Blossom shook her head. "Nevermind. Let's go!"

And with that, both Powerpuffs shot off with bright flashes of pink and blue.

* * *

As Joey held their breath underneath the molten lake, the surrounding magma liquid was so thick, even with their super hearing they could not detect what was taking place above the surface. The green Powerpuff clenched their eyes shut while they tried to count the passing seconds in their mind and estimate when it might be safe to reemerge again. However it was not long before Joey felt the lava around them begin to tickle against their skin, and so they pried their eyes open.

The liquid was so scolding hot, it was difficult to see anything within the blinding bright glow that enveloped the super powered teen. But as the green Puff sloshed about the thick red sludge, it was soon realized that the darkened disguise Joey wore had completely disintegrated. The skinny adolescent held both hands out and saw only scarred arms and fingers, and nothing else. The green Puff was completely exposed. An immediate touch to the face revealed next that there was nothing there but a 'V' shaped scar.

The bare teenager looked about frantically underneath the lava pool as if there might be a way to somehow relocate the Halloween mask. There was an instant wrenching within their chest the moment Joey noticed its absence. Even in just a short time, the sixteen-year-old had become quite attached to the disguise. Deep down, of course, the green Puff knew that the molten liquid had melted it away. Still, it was a difficult reality to accept, and not until several minutes of desperate glances about had passed did the super powered teenager face the inescapable, heart wrenching truth.

The alien mask... was gone.

The loss was so devastating, and so painful that Buttercup remained underneath the surface of the red, molten lake for a much longer period of time than was actually necessary. After all, once the Puff reemerged... what else was left? Without the mask... would there ever be a Joey again? It had taken so much to avoid getting caught by both Blossom and Bubbles, and now it felt as if all that effort had been for nothing. After nearly fifteen minutes of mourning, the glowing hot skinned teenager hesitantly swam to the surface once more.

Buttercup gasped loudly for air and waded through the magma sludge for the nearby platform. As the skinny teenager resurfaced, there was no sight of anyone else there. Being completely exposed, Buttercup was grateful for this. However, as the Puff's bare feet walked along the platform, they came to an abrupt stop as something was noticed on the ground.

A neat bundle of clothes sat upon the floor in the middle of the otherwise empty room. The young Puff was far too uncomfortable standing there naked that it was not even questioned at first. Within a quick flash of green light, the teen quickly put on what was there.

Once dressed, Buttercup glanced down at the outfit and saw that it was a matching set of children's pajamas. The teenager had seen PJs just like it inside the museum gift shop earlier. The children's clothing was far too small for Buttercup. The short sleeved white t-shirt which had Buttercup's five-year-old face printed upon it fit snuggly and exposed the Puff's bellybuttonless abdomen. The pair of lime green Buttercup PJ bottoms were supposed to be pants, but they only reached the tall teenager's boney knees. Despite the tight fit, the green Puff was still thankful to have something.

Buttercup looked about the room once more for some sort of sign as to how the clothing had gotten there. All that was in the red-tinted room was the magma lake, and along the borders of the massive basement were rows of steadily beeping energy panels and switchboards. The green Puff knew what the equipment stored there was what powered the volcano top observatory. After all, it was Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup who had helped build it long ago...

As Buttercup stared at the back wall of panels and tugged uncomfortably on the tight clothing, suddenly there was a voice that echoed from the stairwell behind.

"Thanks to your pyrotechnics, I am afraid there was not much left."

Buttercup whipped around at the sound of the deep echoing voice and saw a shadow drawing near the final step.

"Fortunately though, Mojo discovered an entire back room behind the shop with many many boxes of this green Puff attire. So much, in fact, I would venture to guess that the green Puff merchandise does not sell as well as the others, hmm?"

Buttercup's green eyes fell on Mojo as he came into the room. It was a surprise to see the chimp fully dressed in his old villainous uniform, but more than that, it was simply a shock to see him step from the shadows so casually. Buttercup could do nothing but blink back in stunned confusion as he continued to speak.

Mojo's eyes fell upon the skinny teenager's exposed arms and his eyes widened momentarily at the sight of the dark, heavy scarring, but he quickly shook the surprise away. He looked up at Buttercup's wide green eyes and smirked a little.

"Mojo can see that you are confused, yes?" Mojo continued, holding his hands behind his back as he casually strolled closer, "I must confess, so was I at first. As a mutant chimpanzee who possesses an unmatched level of genius there is not much in this world that befuddles Mojo. Yet, the mysteries that surround you are so endless- so countless- so many, in fact, Mojo would have to call you the most difficult puzzle Mojo has ever attempted to solve. Rumors of zombies, demons, clones, experimentations gone horribly wrong- all fascinating stories- some, dare I say, entertaining- however Mojo can easily see for himself that none of it is true, for Mojo is far too familiar with this accursed city's unsparing cruelty when it comes to those that they deem 'monsters.'" Mojo came just before the skinny teen and stopped. He paused again to glance at the scarred arms for just a moment before he looked up. "The world can be a merciless and vile place, can it not?"

The green Puff stared down at the villain, and hesitated. It was strange, but his tone of voice did not sound threatening. It seemed crazy to think about, but to Buttercup, he spoke not as if he were addressing an enemy, but rather... an old friend. "...Yeah... yeah, it can..."

The admission was quiet, and Mojo sensed the child's hesitation, and so he continued to elaborate his point further.

"Yes," Mojo continued with a sigh, "It is a sad, terrible and unfortunate thing, but a fact of life nonetheless, that people need something to hate. Years ago it was Mojo who the people despised. However, with I, Mojo Jojo- and the rest of the villains for that matter- incarcerated for life, there remained nothing left for the simple-minded to target with their neverending, relentless and unwavering need for acrimony." Mojo waited until the Puff's green eyes, which had been darting about nervously, rested on him once more. "And so... it became you."

The green Puff blinked back, "...How do you-?"

"Like Mojo said, he knows for he has lived it!" Mojo interrupted. "The difference, of course, is that when they call Mojo a freak, at least they do not expect anything from him. But you? They call you both 'hero' and 'monster' and these are simply titles that are impossible to maintain at once! Such identities cannot coexist! Yet those who judge you still refuse to let either label go. They have branded them more deeply than the scar they fear upon your face. What an impossible existence, really- a torturous paradox. How miserable it must be. Really, it is no wonder you have had no choice but to try and reinvent yourself. Is that not right... _Joey_?"

"...Wh-what-?"

"Forgive Mojo if he assumes too much! However, out of all the names you go by, I was under the impression that 'Joey' was the one name you have given yourself."

Mojo closely watched the teenager who stared back at him with wide green eyes and a dropped jaw. "...You..." the green Puff began slowly, "...You don't know me."

"I know that you are Buttercup who is the Alien who is Joey. Is that not right?"

"What? N-no! I'm not- you can't just- how did you-?" the green Puff stopped and noticed the sly smirk on the simian's face then. "You know I'm supposed to turn you in!"

Mojo laughed directly at the threat. "And to whom exactly? _Your sisters_? _Morbucks_?" Mojo shook his head, "Let us not go down those paths, Joey, for they all end the same. No matter what, you cannot undo the fact that Mojo already knows your secret- it was you who broke Mojo and the villains from prison. Whoever's hands you deliver me to, ultimately I will land in police custody, at which point they will undoubtedly question who it was that helped me escape." Mojo smirked, "Which of your names should I give them?"

"They're not going to believe you-"

"Why not?"

"Because you're a villain!"

Mojo laughed again, "Yes, I see your point, however," he held up a finger as he paused, "When it comes to the subject of you, do you really think the people of this city will ignore another chance to sell another story?"

Another silent blank stare.

"That is what Mojo thought." He smirked. "Do not worry though, for Mojo is willing to keep your secret. As I stated earlier, Mojo can sympathize with your plight. Of course, though, such favors still do come with a price..."

Buttercup gulped. "...What do you want?"

Mojo could see the fear behind the pair of emerald eyes that stared back at him. He laughed a little, "There is no reason to be so nervous, Joey! All Mojo needs is help with one, lone, singular task- nothing further- just a simple, small job. You do this for Mojo and Mojo will keep your secret. A fair exchange, I would say. Once it is done, we go our separate ways- you never saw Mojo, and Mojo never saw you. Then, you may carry on being whoever it is you are."

The glimmer behind the villain's eyes still made the young hero feel uneasy. "...What is it then?"

Mojo smirked. "Tonight, is not the night," he answered simply. He turned away from the teenager, his long purple cape fluttering behind him as he went. As he walked towards the staircase with his hands behind his back, the green Puff followed one step behind him. "Not with your sisters out searching for the Alien, that is. The risk is much too high. No, it is probably safest for us each to retire for the rest of this evening. Perhaps we may begin tomorrow."

"OK... but wh-what are you gonna make me do?"

A short laugh. "Ha! Again with the apprehensiveness!" The villain and hero continued to travel together as they ascended the basement steps. "Mojo will not ask anything of you which you have not done before! It is certainly a task you are familiar with, and a job for which you have much experience! If all goes to plan, it will be done in a night!"

As the pair reached the top of the staircase, they came to another set of doors which led them back out into the main lobby. The two halted in unison at the observatory doorway as their eyes fell on the two bright beams of light that tore through the summer night sky. The streaks of pink and blue raced side by side and towards the coastline in the west.

"Return home," Mojo spoke low as he watched the fading lights, "Tomorrow, meet me after sundown at the water tower."

"Wait..." Buttercup blinked. " _The water tower_?"

"Yes. I trust you know where that is," Mojo smirked again before continuing past the dumbfounded teenager. With the power still on within the museum, the escalator was operational once more. Buttercup watched as the short villain stepped onto the motorized steps, his cape blowing in the wind as he descended. "Until tomorrow night!" he shouted behind him. "Farewell for now, Joey!"

* * *

~Spanish/Mexican slang Translations~

tía - aunt

abuela - grandmother

otra vez - again

nada - nothing

Sabemos que ella nació en una cuna de oro - literally "We both know she was born in a golden cradle," which is a saying similar to "born with a silver spoon in one's mouth."

ya nos cargó el payaso - literally "the fool/clown has passed us by," which is basically another way to say, "we're fucked."

mija - my little girl/daughter

pinche pendejos - fucking idiots

* * *

_A/N_ : Congratulations! You made it through the longest chapter ever! OK, but seriously, thanks for reading! Please, if this was TOO LONG please honestly let me know. I seriously considered splitting this one into two. I kinda like the build up personally, and so I just decided to keep it as is. I don't think any future chapters I have planned will be this long, but HEY I've said that before lol. But seriously, do you guys like the longer chapters? Would you have preferred this to be split? Any notes on what you think of this one's length would be much appreciated. Thanks again!


	12. Picture Day

**Villain: Redux**

By: Yay Ninja Bob

* * *

Author's Note: So sorry for the long break, guys. The end of 2020 was some crazy times for me personally which again put writing on hold for a while. As if the end of the year wasn't crazy enough, the cherry on top for me was me contracting coronavirus. I only traveled to work and back home- wore my mask always, washed my hands obsessively, and STILL SOMEHOW the virus got me. I am very fortunate though that my symptoms were pretty mild like a common flu and I was able to isolate safely at home. Thankfully my wife never got it, and NOW I'm happy to say that I'm feeling all better with my covid defeated- YAY! AND NOW I'm back to writing again- YAY!

I hope everyone is doing well and staying safe, and I wish everyone good health and good luck in this new year. I know these are difficult times for a lot of us, and I really thank you guys for your continued readership when I know from experience that with EVERYTHING going on in the real world, spending time on fanfic isn't always easy. So the fact that so many of you continue to take time out of your lives to reading my fic is SO special to me, and I really really thank you guys for all your awesome feedback and ongoing support with this story. It's crazy to think I started writing this fic before the pandemic began, but as the crisis around us continues, I am so thankful to have this story as an escape of sorts at the end of a day, and I am so very grateful to have people out there who I can share what I create with, which just makes this project of mine all the more fun. Seriously, I love you guys! D:

Anywho. As long as life doesn't have anymore unexpected surprises for me, we should be back to our monthly-ish updates going forward. On my current outline, after this chapter there's roughly 6-7 chapters left here in Part II- just depending on how the rest of our events flow as I get to writing them- but anticipate the ending to the current arc somewhere around Chapter 18 or 19. It is definitely a personal goal of mine to try to get us through the rest of Part II with regular every 4-6 week updates until it's ideally done by the end of this summer/start of fall. THEN I plan to take a little break and PREPARE before we dive into... DUN-DUN-DUNNN- PART THREE! O:

Oh, the insanity that's to come~ I can't wait. :D

* * *

****

**Part II: Hate & War**

**Chapter 12**

**Picture Day**

" _Yes. It is a sad, terrible and unfortunate thing, but a fact of life nonetheless, that people need something to hate. Years ago it was Mojo who the people despised. However, with I, Mojo Jojo- and the rest of the villains for that matter- incarcerated for life, there remained nothing left for the simple-minded to target with their neverending, relentless and unwavering need for acrimony, and so... it became you..._ "

As the green Powerpuff stood underneath the shower's steady stream of warm water, the events that had just transpired played over and over again within the young hero's mind. There was a lot that had just happened, but out of everything that took place- rescuing Tyler and the gang, the police chase, running into Princess and burning down the Discovery Dome together, nearly getting caught by both sisters as the wanted Alien- it was the unexpected confrontation that took place beside the volcanic base's magma lake that dominated the many pressing thoughts that swarmed the sixteen-year-old's head. Even though the mutant chimp had said a lot that night, everything he had said had definitely managed to stick. As the steam from the hot shower built up within the small bathroom and swirled round the air, the villain's haunting words continued to replay...

" _The difference, of course, is that when they call Mojo a freak, at least they do not expect anything from him. But you? They call you both 'hero' and 'monster' and these are simply titles that are impossible to maintain at once! Such identities cannot coexist! Yet those who judge you still refuse to let either label go. They have branded them more deeply than the scar they fear upon your face.._."

As the water beat down against the back of Buttercup's head, the green eyed Powerpuff hunched forward and watched the last few traces of blackened dirt swirl around the shower drain and wash away forever. It had taken nearly an entire bottle of shampoo and another bottle of conditioner to successfully strip all the hardened bits of lava rock that clung to the teenager's hair, but after much tedious scrubbing, Buttercup at long last felt clean again, and shut off the running water.

The green Puff slipped into a clean pair of pajama pants and a worn baggy band t-shirt, and knelt down to gather the pieces of Mojo's "gifted" clothing that were scattered upon the tiled floor.

" _What an impossible existence, really- a torturous paradox. How miserable it must be..._ "

Buttercup used the small bundle of children's pajamas to wipe away the fog from the bathroom mirror.

" _Really, it is no wonder you have had no choice but to try and reinvent yourself. Is that not right... Joey?_ "

The green eyed Powerpuff stared directly ahead at the mirror's reflection and asked for the hundredth time that night, "How the hell did he manage to figure out it was me?"

The lingering steam within the shut bathroom fogged up the mirror once more as Buttercup turned away from the reflection and reached for the door. The superpowered teenager paused for a moment, listening intently for any signs of life within the Utonium household. Still, all that could be heard were the distant, steady sounds of clinking and tinkering coming from the basement laboratory. Since the prison break, the Professor had stayed even busier than usual, spending at least fourteen or sixteen hours of his day working inside the lab. Buttercup hadn't seen the man face to face in days, but truthfully didn't really mind it. After all, it was one less person to have to answer to.

Buttercup stepped out into the hallway and saw that the door to Blossom's room had been left open. The green Puff stood outside the doorway to the pink themed bedroom and peered inside for a moment. Blossom's computer desk was neatly organized with stacks of printed transcripts and piles of Manila folders marked "evidence." Beside her keyboard sat a spiral pink notebook containing all the pink Puff's ongoing notes concerning "the Alien." Without a doubt, once she returned home, Blossom would have a lot to add to her findings. She and Bubbles were still out searching for the masked villain, and when they got back, Buttercup imagined they would want to know just where their sibling had been. However every time the green Puff tried to focus on forming some sort of alibi, that villainous simian's deep, dark voice still interrupted every thought.

" _Tomorrow, meet me after sundown at the water tower..._ "

The green Powerpuff slowly retreated to the third bedroom down the hallway, disappeared inside, and locked the door.

"What could Mojo want?" Buttercup wondered again, "Why the water tower of all places? He sounded like it was supposed to mean something, but..."

As the skinny teen walked across the bedroom, a sudden small gasp escaped as a new realization came to mind then, " _Shit_... What if he's figured out that the water tower's like my hideout? Fuck, I still have my stuff there. He must've figured it out, right? Why else would he want to meet up there tomorrow? Shit-shit-shit! He knows too much- way too much- How does he know so much? What the hell am I gonna do? He said if I helped him he wouldn't snitch but I can't trust him! No way! He's a villain after all! Ugh! Just what the hell am I supposed to do?!"

Buttercup tossed the bundle of clothing onto a pile of dirty clothes and slammed the closet door shut, feeling a growing frustration. As the skinny teen turned around, there were two pairs of tiny black beaded eyes that stared back. The green bird and yellow bird both tilted their heads innocently as they blinked, clueless as to what the teenager was ranting about. To them, the green Puff was always acting strangely.

Buttercup's eyes narrowed on the birds who seemed to be chirping then more than usual. They bobbed up and down from where they were perched inside the cage as if trying to get the green Puff's attention. Buttercup raised an eyebrow, "What do you two want?"

The green budgie fluttered over to the side of the birdcage and pecked at the empty plastic water dispenser as he chirped again. Buttercup realized then that the birds had run out of water to drink and scoffed, "Of course Bubbles said I wouldn't even have to take care of you two, but here I am," the teenager muttered with annoyance while removing the empty water dish, "taking care of you." Buttercup floated down their home's staircase and into the kitchen with the birds' water dispenser in hand, continuing to complain quietly, "That's the last time I do her any stupid favors..."

As the teenager refilled the dispenser's water bottle underneath the kitchen tap, the sounds of ascending footsteps could be heard beyond the shut door to the Professor's lab. Still waiting for the small plastic tank to be filled, Buttercup groaned a little, knowing there was no avoiding having to talk to the Professor once he stepped outside the basement door and into the kitchen.

"Oh," the Professor wore a small, surprised smile as he stepped into the kitchen and his eyes fell on Buttercup. "Hey there, Buttercup," he greeted as he approached the kitchen counter and reached for the coffee pot that sat beside the sink. "What do you have there?"

Buttercup's back was turned towards the Professor, and the scientist could not see the eye-roll the teenager responded with. "Just fillin' up some water for Snot and Pus, Professor."

As the Professor emptied the final drops of warm caffeinated liquid from the coffee pot into his mug, he continued to watch his daughter with a small smile. "That's nice, Sweetie. I'm glad you're enjoying having your new little friends."

"Yeah," Buttercup muttered while replacing the water bottle's cap, answering with undetected sarcasm, "They're loads of fun..." The tomboy turned to leave, "Well, night, Professor-"

"Buttercup, hey, where are your sisters?" the Professor curiously asked as he added sugar and creamer to his coffee.

Buttercup turned around and glanced at the wall clock that hung over the Professor's head, "I guess still out on their midnight sweeps. I dunno."

The Professor raised an eyebrow from behind his coffee mug as he took a sip. "You don't know? If it's your Powerpuff sweeps then why aren't you out with them?"

Buttercup shrugged, "I took the day off."

"Oh?" the Professor lowered his coffee mug and immediately wore a concerned look. "Why is that? Is everything OK, Buttercup?"

The superpowered teenager recognized the look then on the Professor's face. It was that look that said "what's wrong with her now?" The green Puff watched as the Professor walked closer with that annoying, squinty-eyed, analytical look plastered on his face. It was the exact expression he'd make whenever the green Puff had to go through one of her "check ups" with him. Frankly, it made the teenager feel like a science experiment.

"I'm fine, Professor," Buttercup said, but knew no matter the answer, the same checklist of questions to come were inevitable at this point. He was already making... _the face_.

"How are you feeling?"

"I said I was fine, Professor."

"How is your vision? Any changes?"

"It's the same."

"Your medication? You're taking it every day right?"

"Yes."

"And no more surges, right?"

The Puff's green eyes momentarily shifted over the Professor's right shoulder, glancing at the door to the basement for just a split moment before answering him. "...Right."

"Good." The Professor paused before asking next, "How has crime-fighting been going?"

Buttercup blinked at the Professor, quiet at first. That was a new question. "It's been... fine."

As the Professor studied Buttercup closely, he sensed something off. "I know it's been a long time since you've had to deal with anything like this, Buttercup. It can't be easy," he continued to try and converse with the fidgety teenager. "As your father, well, I had hoped all these villains were finally a thing of the past. I can't imagine what sort of monster would want to cause so much chaos," the Professor shook his head. He forced a weak smile before continuing, "But," he began trying to sound hopeful, "I've been working day and night on a solution to improve the Villains Ward. It's taken some time, but rest assured, once you girls get a hold of everyone, this time they will be locked away for good. And once that happens, well," he smiled again, resting a hand on Buttercup's shoulder, "Everything will be back to normal. You'll see."

Buttercup stared up at the Professor. Knowing he was looking for a smile, she forced one, "Sure, Professor."

As the Professor watched the tomboy slowly ascend their home's staircase, there was a click heard coming from the front door. He stepped out into the hallway, as Buttercup paused on the stairway, to see both Blossom and Bubbles returning home. "Hello, Girls," he greeted them, "How were your sweeps tonight?"

"Professor, hi," Blossom couldn't help but smile from the unexpected sight of her father outside the lab, but the smile faded fast when her pink eyes fell on her sibling on the stairs behind him. Buttercup casually floated up the staircase, seemingly ignoring her and Bubbles completely.

" _Buttercup_!" Bubbles called out with a loud gasp the moment she noticed her sibling reach the top of the stairs. With a quick flash of baby blue light, the blonde was side by side with Buttercup. " _Omigosh_!" she exclaimed loudly. "Where the heck were you?! Blossom and I must have called you like a million times!"

" _Yeah_ ," Blossom spoke loudly and sternly from the bottom of the staircase, still standing with the Professor, "Buttercup, I told you you could have the day off, but to still be on standby!"

"Huh," Buttercup shrugged, looking somewhat confused. "I never heard nothin'. Now that you mention it..." the green Puff spun around a little, "Where _is_ my phone?"

The leader placed her hands on her hips, "You lost your phone? How could you lose your phone, Buttercup?"

Buttercup answered with another shrug, "If I knew that, then it wouldn't be lost."

Blossom sighed heavily before she continued to lecture, "Well, thanks to you missing tonight, we lost against the Alien!"

Buttercup glanced from Bubbles to Blossom, blinking dumbly. "Wait... what?"

Blossom shook her head as she ascended the stairway next. "Buttercup, that masked freak was running around town all night tonight making a fool of us. He started a police chase on the east side and then later he set fire to the Discovery Dome!" Blossom frowned as she stood before her skinny sibling. "We really needed you tonight, Buttercup."

Buttercup stared up at Blossom with wide eyes, before glancing again at Bubbles who nodded quietly with a frown. "Well, if all this was going on, then why didn't one of you come home and get me?" Buttercup questioned.

"I did! Or I tried! You weren't here!" Bubbles shouted immediately.

"Nuh uh!"

"Yeah huh!" Bubbles insisted, "I came home, and I checked the living room but you weren't there! So I went upstairs to your room, but you weren't there! I even asked Lor-" Bubbles paused for a split moment as her baby blue eyes fell on the Professor who ascended the stairway and stood behind Blossom, "I mean... Snot and Pus," the names pained her to say out loud, but she did anyways, "I asked them if they'd seen you and they said that they hadn't!"

"Well, did you check the bathroom, Bubble-Brain?"

Bubbles blinked back for a moment, "Well, I... no, I didn't but..." she looked from Buttercup to Blossom, "Look, I was under a lot of pressure, OK?!"

Buttercup responded with an eyeroll before continuing through the bedroom door with the birds' filled water dispenser still in hand. "Way to go, Bubble-Brain!"

Bubbles could not help but tear up a little from her sibling's teasing, suddenly feeling like maybe their loss for the night had actually been her fault somehow.

Blossom sighed deeply once more before stepping inside Buttercup's room. She watched as her sibling replaced the birds' water dish. "Seriously, Buttercup," Blossom began again, sounding exasperated, "Where is your phone? You really need to keep it on you at all times. Especially during times like this!"

Buttercup turned to face Blossom and shrugged. Of course, the green Puff's cellphone had been destroyed by molten magma earlier that evening, but it wasn't as if Buttercup could admit such a thing. However, a conveniently missing phone was definitely an excuse that could be used... "Huh," Buttercup began to look about the floor of the bedroom, as if actively searching for something, "Dude, I actually really don't know where it's at. Now that you mention it... I remember havin' it on me when we went to that robbery heist the other night but... I haven't really used it since..."

"Buttercup, that is so irresponsible-"

"OK, OK," the Professor interrupted as he entered the room with Bubbles next. "It's late, Girls. There's no use in arguing over something that can't be helped, right?" He smiled weakly at Blossom, "I'm sure you girls will have another chance to catch the Alien." He checked his wristwatch for the time and yawned. "I was hoping to spend a few more hours in the lab tonight finishing up my current project for the mayor, but," he looked to each of his daughters and smiled a little, "Perhaps I can spend that time instead trying to whip up some sort of solution to help you three stay connected during your crime-fighting efforts. Perhaps a shared communication hub, or... portable hotline if you will," he chuckled.

Blossom turned to the Professor and smiled, "That would be great, Professor."

"OK, but," Buttercup spoke up next, "Can I still get a new cellphone? Like... something that texts and plays music, you know?"

The Professor sipped from his coffee cup and nodded, "If you still can't find your phone tomorrow, Buttercup, then yes, I'll take you to get another." He turned to leave, "Well, I'll be in the lab, Girls, if you need anything. For now, the three of you should try and get some much deserved rest, OK?"

The Professor glanced at each of the triplets who all nodded in unison. "OK, Professor."

Bubbles followed after the Professor as he left, but Blossom paused for a moment at the doorway. She turned to face Buttercup again and frowned. "Look, Buttercup, I know you needed a day off to rest and everything, but," she sighed heavily, "It really did suck tonight without you. For a moment, I really thought we had it, and you were gonna get that victory that was gonna change everything..." The redhead rubbed the back of her head as she frowned again. "So... you're feeling better now, right?"

Buttercup stared at Blossom and nodded slowly. "Yeah... Yeah, I am. Sorry, I guess. I... wish I could've been there..."

Blossom watched as her sibling floated over to the bed's mattress and sat down. "The Alien," Blossom began again, "He's... there's something up with him, Buttercup. After tonight... I'm starting to think that the prison break and busting into the Villains Ward was just a warm up for this guy."

Buttercup raised an eyebrow. "Whaddya mean?"

Blossom bit her lip, "I'm not sure what it is, but... my gut is telling me that this whole Alien thing is just the start of something... bigger, you know? I got a chance to face him myself tonight and he's even stronger than I ever imagined. Buttercup, I swear he's just about as strong as us!"

Buttercup's eyes widened, "Blossom, there's no way-"

"I'm telling you, Buttercup. If you had been there, you would have seen it for yourself! He outran us twice today somehow, and with that kind of speed, and that kind of strength..." Blossom's voice trailed off and Buttercup could tell that the redhead was becoming lost in her racing thoughts.

Fearful of what thoughts Blossom was having and where they might lead her, the green Puff stood from the bed and approached Blossom slowly with a weak smile. "Hey, let's just try and forget it for tonight, alright? Like the Professor said, we should all try and get some rest." Buttercup gave the tall redhead a small pat on the shoulder, "Especially you, Leader Girl."

Blossom returned a small smile, and nodded. "I guess you're right. Goodnight, Sis."

"Night," Buttercup shut the door behind Blossom and immediately locked it.

Buttercup leaned against the shut door and slunk down to the ground with a long, drawn out, exhausted sigh. The skinny teen's chest heaved up and down as if just completing a marathon. While the green Puff lay on the ground of the bedroom feeling their heart continue to race, there was no stopping the small nervous laughter that took over. Exactly how Joey had managed to survive another night that night would always remain a mystery to them.

* * *

Robin awoke from where she lay on her family's living room sofa, surprised to realize that she had drifted to sleep. With her parents both asleep for the night, it was dark inside the Snyder Home, save for the light of the television set which was still tuned to the 24-hour news network Robin had been watching earlier. She hadn't meant to fall asleep while watching TV, but her night of waiting for her girlfriend's return turned out to be a lot longer than she anticipated. When Blossom had to leave their coffee date prematurely, the brunette quickly returned home to watch the latest Powerpuff story unfold. Only, from what was being reported at least, the latest Alien sighting seemed to be another hard-to-solve mystery for Townsville. Robin had texted Blossom, asking her to please call whenever she arrived home so that she knew she was safe of course, but...

Robin sat up, and reached into her shorts pocket and pulled out her cellphone. Her teal blue eyes immediately widened at the time: 2:48 AM. She quickly checked for any messages from Blossom, but there were none.

As Robin frowned at her cellphone in her hands, she heard a soft scratching coming from their home's backdoor. She returned her phone to her pocket and quickly walked over and opened it. "Sorry, Ginger," the teenager apologized to the old tabby cat as she hurried inside for the night. As Robin held the door open for her cat, her teal blue eyes landed on the Utonium household next door.

From their back porch, Robin could see the three circular windows that belonged to her friends. The middle window- Blossom's window- was the only room with any light on inside. As Robin noticed this, she stepped out onto the porch and began to walk along the wooden fence that separated their homes. She kept her teal blue eyes focused on the window to Blossom's room. With her pink shades drawn closed, she could not see much, but with the light still on inside, Robin had a feeling the pink Puff was still awake.

Blossom was indeed still up. Even though the Professor and her sister had told her to get her rest, after her close encounter with the Alien earlier that night, Blossom really couldn't fall asleep even if she tried. Instead, the teenage hero sat at her desk, scribbling away furiously in her notebook as she wrote down every last detail of the night. On her computer monitor played her personal copy of the Townsville Prison's security footage, while she used her cell phone to stream the latest news being reported.

As the redhead lowered her pen for a moment so that she could stretch in her seat, she was surprised to suddenly hear a light tapping noise coming from her shut window. Blossom immediately rose from her chair and went to investigate. As she pulled back her pink window shades, her bubblegum eyes widened from the sight of her girlfriend waiting on the other side of the window, standing on the roof of their home's garage. "Robin!" Blossom exclaimed in a whisper as she slid her window open.

"Hey," Robin laughed a little, amused by the shock that swept Blossom's face. "Well, I'm glad to see you weren't abducted by aliens. I was starting to worry."

Blossom blinked at Robin for a moment before she pulled her in through the window. Once inside Robin was immediately pulled into a tight embrace by the tall redhead. "Oh my God," Blossom continued to whisper as she pulled away, "Robin, how did you manage to reach my window?"

Robin shrugged a little, "You do it all the time."

"There's a huge difference, Robin. It's not dangerous for me to hover outside of your window to visit you. I can fly. You climbing onto rooftops on the other hand-" Blossom frowned a little, "What if you had fallen and hurt yourself?"

Robin shook her head, "It's not that big a deal, Blossom." Her teal eyes traveled over to the desk lamp that illuminated the teenager's desk and noticed her girlfriend's set up. "So, no luck again tonight?" she frowned.

Blossom sighed deeply as she returned to her desk and plopped down onto her swivel chair. "No, and I'm driving myself crazy over here trying to figure out just where on Earth this guy could have come from," Blossom pouted as her pink eyes fell on the looping surveillance footage of the masked villain once more. "First the prison break on our birthday, and now setting fire to the Discovery Dome- specifically just about everything Powerpuff related... Robin, whatever is this guy's problem, clearly it's got something to do with us."

Robin frowned, "What a jerk." She walked up to behind where Blossom sat and leaned forward, speaking softly into the pink Puff's ear, "But, I'm sure you guys will catch him soon."

Blossom rested her head on her hands and sighed again as her pink eyes watched the security footage once more, "Let's hope so. The entire city is depending on us." As Blossom's gaze was fixed once more on the masked Alien, suddenly the monitor to her computer shut off.

Blossom glanced at Robin who still held her finger over the screen's power button and smiled sweetly at her. "You have to have seen that about a hundred times by now, Blossom," Robin spoke softly, "Will a hundred more times really make a difference?"

The redhead stared quietly for a moment as she watched Robin continue to shut off her cellphone's stream and close the pages to her notebook next. Blossom frowned a little, "Robin," she began again with a whisper, "I know it probably looks like I'm going overboard with this, but I really do have to-" Blossom stopped as her girlfriend spun her around in her swivel chair and silenced her with a soft, tender kiss. The brunette lowered herself onto her lap, straddling the redhead's hips as she continued to kiss her.

"Don't you miss spending time with me?" Robin asked softly between kisses.

Blossom leaned her head back against her chair's headrest as her girlfriend continued to kiss her neck. She bit her lip, "Of course I do-"

"It doesn't always feel like you do," Robin rubbed Blossom's shoulders, feeling out the tension the redhead was carrying within her body. "You know... if our relationship has become just another stressor for you then-"

Blossom frowned again, sitting up in her seat, "Don't say that. If anything you're the only thing in my life left that brings me any sort of sense of calm," She sighed as she reached out and gently caressed her girlfriend's face, "Robin, I'm sorry. I know I'm not the best at expressing myself always, but," Blossom continued to brush her red painted fingertips along the side of the brunette's face. "I really do appreciate you, and I love you more than anything. And yes, I miss you always when you're not around. It's just... everything's gotten so crazy. It's got me so scattered brain as of late, I- I'm sorry. I know you deserve better."

As Blossom caressed her face, Robin looped her arms around the redhead's neck, "All I want is you, Blossom," she leaned forward and planted another kiss on Blossom's lips. She smiled as she pulled away, "And I guess if I have to climb a tree, to climb a fence, to scale the side of your garage to reach your window so that I can spend a little time with you nowadays, well," Robin smirked, "I guess that's just what I'm going to have to do from now on."

Blossom could not help but smile. She pulled Robin into a tight embrace once more and held onto her as she breathed deeply, "God, I love you so much."

* * *

The green Powerpuff lay in the dark unable to sleep. Even though the teenager had turned out the light hours ago, there was no stopping the never ending loop of the night which still replayed over and over within the young hero's mind. Buttercup had done nothing but tossing and turning in an attempt to try and find rest that night, and had managed to kick away all of the bedding and sheets. Laying upon a bare mattress and still hopelessly waiting for sleep with eyes shut tight, there was sudden faint knocking sound heard coming from within the bedroom.

Buttercup sat up in bed with a jolt the moment the sounds began in the dark. Immediately the Puff's emerald eyes fell on the door to the bedroom's closet. The door to the closet was shut, but the noise was definitely coming from behind it. Buttercup watched the door intently, while silently and cautiously moving towards it. With super hearing activated, the Puff listened to the sound of something rustling about inside, and as the young hero crept closer and closer, there was a rotten, burning stench in the air. Buttercup reached for the closet door's handle and opened it.

" _Where is it?_ Dude, it's gotta be _somewhere_ around here!"

Buttercup blinked at the blood soaked kid for a moment before a look of annoyance came next. The sixteen-year-old Puff watched as the thirteen-year-old apparition dug around the heap of dirty laundry that littered the closet floor. The kid had her back turned as she knelt upon both knees over the large pile of laundry and searched frantically for something. Buttercup groaned, still holding the closet door open, "Oh no... What are you doing here? Dude, really, I'm just trying to get some sleep tonight and you showing up now just isn't-"

"Where is it?!" the kid jumped onto their sandy wet sneakers and began to search the shelfing within the closet, "Where the fuck is it?!" As the thirteen-year-old removed an old snowglobe from the shelf and tossed it carelessly over her shoulder, Buttercup caught it and glared at her.

"Where's _what?_!" Buttercup snapped at herself.

The kid stopped suddenly and slowly glanced over her shoulder with her ghostly, opaque white right eye. "Where's the mask?"

" _Oh_ ," Buttercup's angry expression softened. "...It's... gone..."

"...Oh..."

"...Yeah..."

As Buttercup reached over her to return the snowglobe to its spot on the shelf, the kid turned round to face them. "Can't you get it back somehow?"

The green Puff sighed deeply and floated slowly back over to the bed, "Nah, Dude..." Buttercup reclined upon the bare mattress again, "I think... I think that shit's over now... I mean, shit's getting pretty serious now that Mojo knows about us. I'm hoping it all works out tomorrow, and he's really not gonna make me do something fucked up in return for his silence, but... even if he does keep his word..." Buttercup shut both eyes and yawned, "It's just gettin' way too risky, Dude..."

"Huh..." the kid stood at the teenager's bedside, "I thought we were just startin' to have some real fun..."

Buttercup's eyes remained shut, hoping the illusion would go away soon. "It was fun while it lasted..."

"Sucks, Man... Say, you got anything I can eat? I'm fucking starving, Dude-"

" _Dude_ ," Buttercup interrupted with annoyance, " _Why_ are you here?" The green Puff sat up in bed once more and looked towards the kid and saw that she had made her way across the bedroom. The blood soaked child stood in front of Buttercup's dresser, staring at the pair of birds that sat within their cage. Her back was towards Buttercup, but Buttercup could see that the kid suddenly gripped something shiny in her right glowing green, acid burnt hand.

"Same reason I always drop by," the kid answered with her back still turned. The apparition turned her head slightly, and even in the dark Buttercup could make out the devious glint of a small, sly smile as she still gripped whatever was in her hand. "I'm here to help you out, you know... since you got nobody else, right?"

Buttercup continued to stare at the kid, but chose to remain silent. The green Puff watched as the illusion returned her attention to the birdcage, and with her left, seared bloody hand, she reached for the cage's small door and opened it. Both Snot and Pus instantly tried to dart away from the sizzling glowing green acid drenched palm that reached for them, but the kid easily managed to yank the fluttering green bird from the cage. Buttercup's eyes widened in shock as she watched the kid cut into the squirming, live bird with a shard of glass, slicing the helpless creature straight down the middle. His yellow companion fluttered about within the closed cage behind them, squawking loudly as the kid raised the green bird to her lips and began to slurp loudly.

All the green Puff could do was look on in stunned silence as the kid continued to suck the blood from the slowly dying bird. As many times as the green Puff had received a "visit" from their former, "dead" self, this sort of thing... was definitely new. As Buttercup continued to watch, the green Puff tried to keep in mind that what was being witnessed... could definitely not be happening.

The kid used her tattered black jacket's sleeve to wipe away the fresh blood-stache from her face, before turning to Buttercup. "Did ya want the other one?"

The green Puff shook their head.

"Suit yourself," the kid shrugged and tossed the dead green bird over her shoulder, before she repeated the same act with the yellow bird next.

Buttercup still could not look away. "Dude... what the actual fuck...?" Eventually, the Puff's green eyes drifted slowly back to where the discarded dead green bird's drained body lay on the floor of the room. There was a gust of wind and Buttercup watched as the wooden floorboards of the bedroom and the dead bird began to blow away like strange particles of sand. The green Puff rose from the bed mattress as it next faded away into the dark atmosphere around them. "Ah, shit, no wonder..." Buttercup laughed a little nervously, "I'm dreaming..."

" _We're_ dreaming," the kid added as she stood beside herself with a grin.

The green Puff glared briefly for a moment at the unwelcomed tag-along before looking around once more. The once empty black void that was the adolescent's default dreamscape had changed as of late. It was still a mostly desolate land, but no longer shrouded in total darkness. Now, the sky shook with thick, dark and thunderous clouds which boomed with a growing, green electricity inside them. The fiery green light that crackled within the black storm clouds illuminated the land with an eerie green glow. The earth was cracked and dry and as the storm ahead continued to boom above, the windy weather of the vast wasteland kicked up the sandy dirt around them.

"Well, whaddya know? Ya changed up the place, huh? I like it!" the kid grinned as she cupped one bloody beaten hand over her brow and looked about the dreamscape. The thirteen-year-old turned back around and saw that she had been left behind as the green Puff continued to float on ahead without her. "Yo! Wait up!"

The green Puff carried on without stopping, moving towards a large, distant shadow in the east. After several minutes, the kid managed to catch up, loudly wheezing and gasping for air as she tried to catch her breath beside the casual floating Powerpuff.

"Dude! I told ya to wait up!" she socked Buttercup on the shoulder with a bloody, bruised fist, "I don't have my ghost powers in this dream world!"

"What sorta sense does that make?"

"I dunno!" the kid threw up her hands, "You tell me!" the kid paused to cough a little, splattering the dirt with blood. She wiped at her mouth with her tattered sleeve, as she walked quickly beside the Powerpuff, "Here, I'm just like you were when Goody-Goody left ya behind on that island! Weak and human-y and useless and burning alive! You remember?"

The green Puff glared at the kid for a moment before muttering, "Yeah. I remember."

"So, where we goin' anyway?"

As the two approached a tall arched golden gateway, the green Puff stopped and turned towards the kid. "No way. You ain't comin' with me, alright? Why don't you run off somewhere else, and I dunno... _play_."

"Why?" the blood-soaked kid strained her eyes as she tried to peer through the thick golden bars of the gate. Besides only having one functioning eye, there was a dense mist in the air that made it difficult to see. "Where are we- Oh-" she stopped as her vision focused on a short redhead walking her pet Pomeranian through the garden. " _Her?_ " the kid laughed a little, "Dude. What do you see in her, anyway? Like... do you like gettin' bossed around, or is it the big boobs, or-"

"Shut up," the green Puff rattled the gate a little to get the kid's attention once more, "Look," the skinny teen's scarred hands grasped the kid by her hooded jacket and spun her to her left, "Go that way, alright? You'll find Ace's place and have a good time."

"OK, cool!" the kid thankfully agreed, "Which building is it? That one or that one?"

"What are you talkin' about? There's only one other build-" the green Puff stopped mid sentence, noticing for the first time a tall silhouette in the distance.

The thirteen-year-old watched as the green Puff shot off for the tall structure with a flash of green light. "Shit!" she started to chase after on foot, "Wait up!"

As soon as the structure came clearer into focus, the flying teen halted mid-air, "The water tower...?"

For a while, the green Puff remained suspended in the sky, watching the tower intently from afar. As far as the hero could tell, there were no signs of anyone there, but the scene still felt too ominous. It was several minutes before the teenager worked up enough courage to continue forward.

Touching down on the metal landing of the water tower, the structure was so high up in the eerie green atmosphere that the darkened mist was especially thick and overpowering even for superpowered vision. The green Puff gulped nervously, walking cautiously around the platform, tense and ready for anything. Both green eyes glowed as they searched around the labrynth of the thick metal beams that supported the tower's massive water tank. As the teenager reached the railing on the other side, far below could be heard the desperate wheezing and coughing of a struggling thirteen-year-old attempting to climb the tower's ladder.

" _Oh, Man_!" the kid shouted from below, "I don't think I'm gonna make it! Dude... a little help?!"

The teenager sighed before zipping downward to retrieve the kid from halfway down the ladder. The green Puff carried her back up to the metal landing and set her on her feet, but the kid instantly collapsed onto the floor, panting heavily from exhaustion.

"You know..." the wheezing thirteen-year-old spoke between hard breaths, "That's hard enough... without powers... but climbing really sucks... when your hands... practically have no skin..." she sat up and coughed as she struggled to climb back onto her feet. The kid stood silent for a while as she watched the green Puff continue to intently search around every metal beam of the platform. "So what's up?" the kid finally asked after a while. "What're you lookin' for?"

The green Puff came to the center of the landing, and turned to look back at the kid, wearing a somewhat disappointed frown. "Nothin', I guess."

* * *

Usually, Blossom and Robin avoided sleepovers so that they could avoid any suspicion about their relationship with either of their families. However, as the couple cuddled in bed together, it wasn't long before Robin realized that the redhead had fallen soundly asleep while wrapped in her arms. By that point it was well past 3 AM, and Robin imagined that the exhausted superhero could use all the rest she could get. Not wanting to wake her, and also, frankly feeling tired of their secretive night visits all together, Robin decided to break their rule for once and stay the night. After all, with everything going on, Robin truly believed that making an exception just that once would not be a big deal.

Like always, her girlfriend's embrace felt warm and safe, and as Blossom awoke the next morning she could not help but nestle against the crook of her lover's arm that wrapped around her and ignore the morning sun for just a moment longer. It took a full minute for the redhead to come out of her slumber enough to realize that Robin had broken their "no sleepovers" rule. Blossom immediately sat up with a gasp, " _What time is it?_ "

The brunette was stirred awake by this. She yawned as she sat up, and before she could fully open her eyes, she heard her girlfriend frantically answering her own question.

"Oh my God, it's nearly eight! How did I sleep in so late? Robin, you're still here? Did you accidentally fall asleep? Oh my God... We need to get you home before anyone notices that you're here-"

Robin rubbed at her sleepy eyes, "Blossom, relax," she spoke through another tired yawn, "What's the big deal? They're not gonna think anything of it. We used to have sleepovers all the time-"

"Yes, but those sleepovers were when we were just kids and they definitely never involved you sleeping alone with me in my room, in my bed-" Blossom stopped pacing as her bubblegum eyes fell on Robin sitting up in bed, wearing the NASA themed t-shirt Blossom had initially worn as PJs, "And in my shirt!" Blossom glanced down at herself and realized then that somehow they managed to swap shirts for the night. Her face became flushed bright red as she quickly removed Robin's high school band t-shirt and tossed it back to her. "Come on! Hurry and get dressed before everyone wakes up!"

Robin caught the clothing and frowned as she removed her girlfriend's t-shirt next and handed it back to her. Blossom quickly slipped it back on before she zipped over to her door and cautiously opened it, careful to not make a sound as she peeked out into the hallway briefly. "I think we're still OK..." Blossom reported in a quiet whisper.

Robin sighed deeply to herself as she slipped her own t-shirt back on, and rose from the bed. As she slipped on her sneakers next, there was a chime heard coming from her girlfriend's computer, and Robin had to actively step out of the path of the bright pink light that flashed past her to instantly check the incoming message.

"That's probably the mayor with last night's incident report-"

Robin stood behind Blossom from where she sat at her desk, and tried to curiously read the e-mail message for herself, but Blossom scrolled too fast for her to keep up.

"Oh no..."

"What is it?"

"Well, for one thing, according to the Discovery Dome incident report, the investigating team discovered that Mojo Jojo's suit was stolen last night! How did I miss that?!"

"Don't be so hard on yourself. You were busy trying to find and stop the Alien, remember?"

Blossom frowned, "Well, on top of that, the mayor say's they're holding a press conference at 10 today and has asked us to be there," Blossom's pink eyes darted to the corner of the screen momentarily, "That's just two hours from now!" She continued reading and only felt worse the deeper into the e-mail she got, "National media is going to be there, and- Oh God, why _now_?"

"What?"

"It's time for our annual press photoshoot, and she's scheduled it for after the conference," Blossom buried her face in her hands and groaned, "How does that leave any time for sweeps this morning?"

Robin frowned as she lay a supportive hand on her girlfriend's shoulder, "It's gonna be OK, Blossom-"

Blossom rose from her seat, "Come on. Let's get you home."

The two girls quickly made their way downstairs and Robin had just stepped across the divide of the home's front door before they suddenly heard a voice from behind.

"Oh, what a surprise!" The Professor spoke as he walked out from the kitchen and into the hallway to spot Blossom and Robin. "Hello, Robin. What brings you by so early?"

Blossom still held the door open as Robin stood awkwardly on the porch. The two exchanged glances for a moment, each knowing then that the Professor believed that Robin had just gotten there.

Blossom quickly thought of an excuse, "Oh yes, it is early for Robin to visit, but you see, Professor, the mayor e-mailed me this morning about press photos today, and so naturally I asked if Robin could come by and help us all get ready! R-right, Robin?"

Robin glanced from Blossom to the Professor and smiled weakly as she stepped back into the house, "Right."

"That's nice of you, Robin," the Professor smiled at the girl before turning to Blossom, "Well, I'm glad I caught you before you girls take off for the day. It took all night, but I was determined to get these done for you girls," the Professor reached into his lab coat and retrieved three brightly colored wristwatches- one green, one blue and one pink. He handed them next to the pink Puff, "Your new wrist communicators," he explained.

Blossom smiled at the devices and then at the Professor, "Wrist communicator?" she repeated as she fixed the pink colored watch around her left wrist.

"Yes," the Professor beamed proudly, "With these, you three can be sure to have close contact with one another whenever you may need it, with just a simple tap." He stood beside Blossom and tapped through the pink watch's small screen as Blossom held her wrist steady and listened carefully as he demonstrated, "Here, you have your direct lines with each of your sisters. Tap here for Bubbles and here for Buttercup. It's the same for each of them, so you will all have the ability to either contact each other one on one, or initiate a three-way call. This is how you can contact both at once, and here," he paused to grin at his redheaded daughter, "Well, being the leader, naturally you have your own line that connects to the mayor. I'm afraid I still have to finish Bellum's line before that feature will work, but," the scientist yawned big, "It will have to wait to be done after a short nap. I'm really hoping I can finish it and the new cell prototype for the mayor by the end of today."

Blossom looked to the Professor and smiled, "This is great, Professor, thank you. It'll definitely prevent last night's disaster from ever happening again."

"Well, that's what I had hoped," he returned a soft smile, before he turned to leave. "Good luck today," he added with another tired yawn as he reached their home's staircase, "I'll be sure to let you know the moment I've finished up the mayor's line."

As Blossom glanced back down at her new wristwatch, she read the time, remembering then how little was left before she had to have their team ready for the day. She glanced at Robin and smiled weakly, "So, did you want to actually stay and help us get ready? I mean... you being here might actually help soften the blow when Bubbles and Buttercup learn that today's picture day for us. It's never a fun day."

Robin returned a small smile. "Sure."

"Thanks," Blossom held onto the blue and green wristwatches and looked up to the second floor, "Well, time to get everyone up, then."

Robin followed behind Blossom as they climbed the staircase and reached Buttercup's door first. Blossom knocked, "Buttercup! It's eight! We have a lot on today's agenda, so I really need you up! Report to my room in five so we can have a quick team meeting to go over everything, alright?" She paused and when there was no answer, she knocked again harder, "Buttercup? Buttercup? Are you up?"

On the other side of the door, Buttercup groaned quietly with both eyes still stubbornly shut, annoyed to be awoken in such a way. Sure, Blossom had always made a point to check up every morning, but it seemed the team leader was shouting louder than usual and banging on the bedroom door with extra urgency, and Buttercup definitely did not look forward to finding out the reason why. Whatever was going on that had the redhead wound up so early could not be good.

"Ugh," Buttercup sat up in bed and yelled through the shut door, "OK, OK! I'm up! _Jeez_..."

"Sounds like that Goody-Goody's really on one today, Dude."

The green Puff turned their head and saw that at the foot of the mattress sat the blood-soaked thirteen-year-old. "You're _still_ here?"

The kid responded simply with a shrug.

" _Ugh_ ," Buttercup rose from the bed and muttered, "Great. _Just great_. As if I don't have enough to deal with today-" the teenager stopped as soon as there was a crunching felt beneath both feet. The Powerpuff looked down and saw broken glass. "What the-?" The shattered bits of glass were surrounded by a sticky wet puddle. It took a moment to recognize the tiny plastic snowman figurine that lay in the center of the mess. Retrieving the small figurine from the ground, it clicked finally. "My snowglobe?"

The teenager instantly spun around and looked toward the closet door- it was open. Not only that, all the laundry that had been stored away inside was scattered throughout the bedroom. Buttercup stood dumbfounded for a full minute, trying to mentally retrace the events of that early morning when the Puff had believed at the time that everything that was happening was just a hallucination, or at the very least a dream, but...

Buttercup's green eyes fell back on the kid who still sat on the edge of the bed's mattress. "What?" the kid blinked back.

The green Puff gripped the small plastic snowman with their scarred palm, "I don't understand... I thought I caught this."

"Nah, you tossed it, remember?"

"No, _you_ tossed it, and _I_ caught it."

"How could _I_ toss it?"

Buttercup blinked at the kid for a moment before gulping nervously. Slowly, the green Puff turned their head and looked toward the birdcage. The teenager's heart stopped briefly, not seeing the birds at first, but as the Puff drew closer, next came a deep sigh of relief, "Oh good. They're just asleep." Buttercup stared for another moment, realizing next that it was odd for the pair to be asleep on the floor of their cage. Even though they looked unharmed, it was also strange that they appeared to not be moving at all.

"Wait..." Buttercup raised the birdcage off the dresser and tilted it forward, causing the two tiny stiff birds to fall through the open door and plop onto the floor. Staring at the obviously dead birds, the Powerpuff's emerald eyes widened, "... _Shit_."

* * *

Bubbles awoke to the sound of Blossom knocking at the bedroom door. "Bubbles! Time to get up, OK? First thing's first- team meeting in my room in five minutes! There's a lot we have to talk about!"

The blonde sleepily rose from bed and floated over to the door and opened it. "OK. I'm up," she yawned. Her baby blue eyes fell on Robin who stood beside her sister, "Hey, Robin. What are you doing over here so early?"

"She's come to help with the meeting," Blossom answered for her before darting back to her room with a flash of pink light.

Bubbles watched her sister disappear before turning back to Robin, "Really?"

Robin shrugged, "I guess it's time for your guys's press photos again. So I'm here to help you all get ready."

Bubbles frowned a little, "Oh _no_. That stuff usually takes all day!" she pouted as she floated out into the hallway and made her way to the bathroom. Robin watched the blue Powerpuff disappear inside, shutting the door behind her, before walking back down the hall towards Blossom's room.

Robin stepped inside the pink bedroom and saw that Blossom had changed out of her PJs and into a pair of jeans and clean, simple white tank top. The tall girl held her red hair tie between her teeth as she fixed her ponytail with her hands. "So," Robin began as she sat on the pink Puff's already made bed, "What can I help with?"

Blossom finished tying her hair up and turned towards the brunette, "Can you print out three copies of that incident report the mayor attached to her e-mail?" she asked as she made her way towards the door again, "I gotta go make sure Buttercup's actually awake so we can get started."

"Sure," Robin stood again and walked over to the pink Puff's computer. "No problem."

As Blossom stepped out into the hall, Bubbles stepped out from the bathroom. "Is it really picture day today?" the blue Puff asked.

Blossom frowned. "Afraid so, Bubbles. After a press conference with the mayor at City Hall. We'll go over everything as soon as Buttercup's up," the redhead spoke as she hurried down the hall and reached her sibling's shut bedroom door. She knocked, "Buttercup! Come on, it's time to get started! There's a lot we need to go over and not a lot of time, OK?"

"Blossom," Bubbles squeaked, "Those photoshoots always take too long, and I have work again tonight. After I had to leave early yesterday, I don't wanna miss another day! And of course I have to still feed the coyotes!"

Blossom frowned, "I know Bubbles," she sighed. "Don't worry. We'll find some time to get everything done, OK?" She turned back to Buttercup's shut door and knocked again, "Buttercup! What's taking you so-"

Blossom stopped as the door to the room suddenly opened and her sibling slipped out, quickly shutting the door behind. "Alright, I'm here."

"Finally," Blossom looked at each of her siblings, "Come on. We got a lot on our plates today, Girls."

Bubbles and Buttercup followed their sister into her bedroom.

"What else is new?" Buttercup muttered, stepping into the pink room. "Robin? What are you doing here?"

"She's here to help," Blossom answered for her again. "Look, Girls, I know this is last minute, but I literally just received the news myself-"

"What news?" Buttercup raised an eyebrow.

"We got press photos today," Bubbles answered.

"What?!" Buttercup shouted immediately.

"I know it always sucks," Robin interjected quickly, causing the green Puff's scowl to lessen a little. Robin smiled weakly at the tomboy, "But I'm here to help whatever way I can."

Buttercup still scoffed, " _Ugh_. That bullshit always takes forever. Don't we got enough going on? Why today?"

Blossom sighed deeply, "Well, I guess with all the extra media attention, the mayor's PR team thinks it'd be good to update our press photos now. It's going to be difficult to maintain our surveillance schedule, but we'll have to find a way," she placed her hands firmly on her hips as she spoke seriously. "We can't let the Alien slip by us again. Whenever or wherever he strikes next- we need to be there, Girls. And this time, we need to stop him. He didn't wait long to cause trouble again after the prison break, and I have a strong hunch that it won't be long before his next attack, and when we face him, he may have a partner with him."

"You really think so?" Bubbles squeaked.

"Yeah," Buttercup gulped, "What makes you think that?"

Blossom took the printed reports she had requested from Robin and handed a copy to each sibling. "Last night's investigation by police at the Discovery Dome uncovered new evidence to suggest that is very possible that the Alien..." Blossom paused to take a deep breath before breaking the news, but was interrupted by Buttercup before she could finish.

"Might have ties with Mojo Jojo?!" the green Puff exclaimed in genuine disbelief, reading ahead on the report.

" _What_?" Bubbles blinked.

"Yes," Blossom nodded, "Apparently, Mojo Jojo's suit that was on display in the museum went missing last night. It's not as if that custom suit could be of use to anyone else but him, so-"

"So they think Mojo and the Alien are working together?" Buttercup scoffed at the report. "Unbelievable."

"I know, I know. It's a lot to take in, Girls," Blossom sighed. "Look, the mayor's going to go over all of this at the press conference, so take five minutes to read the report for yourselves and get familiar with the details."

"Press conference?" Buttercup lowered the printed report to raise an eyebrow.

"Yes. It's at 10 am. Mayor Bellum will be doing all the talking. We just need to be there," Blossom frowned a little, "Trust me guys, this is overwhelming for me too, but," she paused to look at each of her siblings, and tried to show them an encouraging smile, "We'll get through it, Girls. I know we can."

Bubbles returned a weak smile, while Buttercup crumbled the printed report with a scarred fist and muttered something low, looking irritated.

Blossom took another deep breath before continuing, "Another thing to keep in mind, at the press conference every local news station will be there, and the mayor mentioned national networks will be in attendance as well. We should all do our best to appear calm, collected and in control, so as to not cause anymore concern for the citizens who are already on edge enough with the Alien and the rest of the villains still at large."

" _Ugh_ ," Buttercup groaned. "Fucking great. Why exactly do we have to be there?"

"To show Townsville that we are there to support the mayor and the police, and that the city is in trusted, good hands, Buttercup," Blossom sighed, starting to feel a little irritated by her sibling's attitude. "Anyways," she carried on, "Once the televised conference is over, the mayor said our press photoshoot will be set up in her office for the day. So basically that means the three of us have to be camera ready by 10 AM. Hence, Robin," she paused to smile at the brunette.

" _Oh no_ ," Buttercup groaned again. "Camera ready? For like... _all day_ pretty much? That's what you're saying?"

"That's what I'm saying, Buttercup, yes."

"I'm not wearing makeup."

"Buttercup, do we really have to fight about this every year? We've agreed already that you should wear it at school and for photos. It's easier that way!"

"No way. I'm sixteen now. I should be able to make my own choices. Besides, it's not like covering my face scar has ever made a difference."

"It does make a difference when you actually do it-"

"So you're saying it's my fault I don't wear enough makeup?!"

"No! That's not what I'm saying!"

"I wore makeup when we had to go round up all those prisoners in the streets, and it didn't matter! Next day they call me a fucking killer! It doesn't matter what the fuck I do!"

"But Buttercup, we are trying to repair your image, remember?"

"So what you're saying is for that to work I'm not allowed to fucking fight crime and have a fucked up face?! Is that it?!"

" _Please_ , guys!" Bubbles had retreated slightly from her siblings as they began arguing and stood beside Robin. Her baby blue eyes glistened with tears as she quietly spoke, "Buttercup, you know Blossom's just trying to look out for you, right? We just don't want people to say mean stuff about you, that's all-"

" _Ugh_!" the tomboy glared at the blue Puff next, "Everyone's seen my stupid face already, alright?!" Buttercup faced both sisters, "At first we thought if we tried to cover it up, that people would forget about all those stupid stories, but they didn't, alright?! I'm sick of having to do something that I don't like like wearing stupid makeup just to try and avoid something that's never gonna stop!"

"But Buttercup, we already agreed before-" Blossom began again but was cut off immediately again by the angry green Puff.

"I said I'm putting my fucking foot down and I ain't wearing anymore makeup, alright, Goody-Goody?!"

"It's OK!" Robin cut in next between the bickering siblings, drawing their attention immediately. She gave Buttercup another small smile, "I'm here to help, remember? If you don't want to wear makeup, we can still find something else..." Robin paused to think of a solution. "How about... instead of makeup, we can always style your hair like we did when the two of us went to that Green Day concert together? It looked nice like that. Remember, Buttercup?"

The green Puff stared at Robin for a moment. The hopeful smile the brunette wore was naive but genuine, and enough to ease Buttercup's rising rage for the time being. "Ugh..." the tomboy looked away and as the scowl faded slightly, "That was practically like two years ago..."

"Yeah, but when you wear your bangs like that, it really does cover your..." Robin stopped and looked at her sulking friend who looked completely defeated. She frowned, feeling a little guilty all of a sudden. "But... it's just a suggestion," she added quietly.

"It's a good suggestion," Blossom encouraged. She turned to Buttercup who stood with both arms crossed, staring at the floor with a displeased frown. "What do you say, Buttercup?"

The green Puff looked up and saw both sisters and Robin waiting for an answer. "Ugh. Fine. If that'll get everyone off my back, I guess."

"Good," Blossom said with an exasperated sigh. She reached into her pants pocket and retrieved the blue and green wrist communicators the Professor had given her earlier. "OK, last thing before morning sweeps is this." She held out the watches for Bubbles and Buttercup to take, and they each took their corresponding color in hand.

"What's this?" Bubbles asked.

"Our new wrist communicators that the Professor made for us last night. With these, we'll be in direct contact with one another whenever needed. It's crucial we don't have any more communication mishaps like we had yesterday, OK? I don't want either of you going anywhere without them on and attached securely to your wrists. Got it?"

"Got it," Bubbles nodded, already wearing the new device.

"Buttercup?" Blossom asked.

"Yeah, yeah," the green Puff muttered while slipping the watch on with a sigh, "Got it."

"Good," Blossom nodded. "OK. Let's do a quick sweep of the city before we all start to get ready."

"While you three are out, I'll go home and get all my hair stuff set up," she smiled weakly at Buttercup, before turning to leave, "See you in a bit."

Buttercup shrugged. "Sure. Whatever."

Once Robin was gone, Bubbles turned to Blossom, "Can we feed the coyotes after sweeps real quick?" she squeaked. "I'm afraid there won't be time after the shoot and before work and everything."

Blossom checked her watch. "OK. But we have to be fast."

"Ugh!" Buttercup groaned again, "Can't you find a way to do that on your own time, Bubbles? Jeez!"

The blue Puff's eyes immediately began to water, "You don't have to come if you don't want..."

Blossom sighed, "How about this? Sweeps. Then, Buttercup you see Robin about your hair for the day. While you're with Robin, Bubbles and I will feed the coyotes, and then when we return the three of us can get dressed in our uniforms and prepare for the conference together. Sound good?"

Bubbles nodded, "OK."

"Fine," Buttercup muttered.

"Good," Blossom exhaled deeply, before checking her watch again for the time. "Alright. Let's-."

"Wait, let me feed Lorenzo and Maria first-"

"I took care of it," Buttercup interrupted.

"Really?" Bubbles smiled a little, remembering her sister taking care of their water dish the night before. "Thanks, Buttercup."

"Yeah, yeah..."

"Come on you two," Blossom led them towards the door, "Let's go!"

* * *

Ginger, the orange tabby cat, sat upon a purple colored chair and watched curiously as her owner cleared off everything from her work desk and began to quickly arrange an assortment of combs, brushes, and styling products upon the table top. She retrieved a spray water bottle, a tabletop mirror, her blow dryer, curling iron and hair straightener next, and also sat them down. As the teal eyed girl scratched her head for a moment and looked about the room, she wondered what else she might need. The teenager pulled out the purple chair next, shooing the cat from her spot, "Sorry, Ginger. I need to borrow your chair for a bit, OK?"

The tubby, elderly cat slunk slowly off the chair and found a new spot upon her owner's bed.

Once Robin had her quickly-made styling station set up, she checked for the time and saw that it had been about fifteen minutes since she had left the Utonium's. She wondered where Buttercup was and if she had returned yet from her Powerpuff surveillance sweep. "Better go check, I guess," the girl decided, before leaving the room. She took a moment to stop and lecture her cat first, "And you stay off that chair while I'm gone, Ginger! I know you think it's yours, but technically it's _mine_ , and I'm gonna need it when I get back, alright?"

The cat responded with an unblinking stare, before curling into herself for a nap.

Robin had almost made it to her home's front door before she heard a voice call out from the kitchen as she passed by, "Robin, is that you?"

Robin stopped and answered. "Yeah, Mom," she turned back around and peered into the kitchen, "It's me."

"I didn't see you this morning," the petite woman in medical scrubs, who was Robin's mother and a nurse at Townsville Medical Center, sat at the kitchen table with her cup of morning tea. Like her daughter, she had a dimpled smile and wavy, chestnut brown hair. "I was just about to try and call you. Were you next door again?"

"Yeah, Mom," Robin stepped inside the kitchen. "I... spent the night."

"Aw, it's been a while since you girls had a sleepover."

"Yeah," Robin bit her lip for a moment. "Actually, they're gonna come over in a bit. They have a photoshoot later and so I'm helping with their hair. I'm on my way to go get Buttercup now."

"Oh, OK, Dear. I'll be sure to bring you girls up some snacks before I leave for work then."

Robin smiled. "Thanks, Mom."

Her mother lowered her cup of tea and asked curiously, "How are the girls and their father holding up throughout all this?"

Robin frowned. "Honestly... I think it's been really hard on all of them."

"Those poor, sweet girls," she shook her head, "I still can't believe some monster would target them on their Sweet 16! I pray for them every day, you know?"

"Yeah... me too, Mom." Robin smiled weakly, "Well, I'll be right back."

"OK, Dear."

Robin walked quickly across her home's front yard and crossed over to the Utonium residence. Being an unofficial part of the family for most of her life, the teenager was always welcome, and so she went straight inside, hurried quickly up the home's staircase and walked towards the first door on the left. The door to Buttercup's room was shut, and so she stopped to knock first. As she raised her hand, she paused, hearing Buttercup's muffled voice through the door.

" _Look_ , I don't need anymore of your advice, got it?"

Robin gently knocked on the door, "Hey, Buttercup. It's me. Are you ready?"

It didn't take long for the green Puff to emerge from the room. Buttercup stepped out, shutting the door quickly, "Yeah, hey, let's go-"

"Hey," Robin smiled weakly. She couldn't help but notice that her friend looked flustered and a little sweaty. "Who were you talking to just now?"

"Huh?" Buttercup blinked. "Uh, no one really."

The two started down the stairs together.

"Were you talking to your birds?" Robin asked as they walked. "You don't have to be embarrassed. I talk to Ginger all the time even though I know she can't understand me, and she can't really talk back." Robin paused, "It can be weird sometimes when Bubbles is around to tell me what she's really saying though," she laughed a little.

Buttercup laughed along nervously, "Yeah..."

As the two entered Robin's home, the girl's mother shouted a cheerful greeting from the kitchen as they passed by. "Hello, Buttercup!"

"Uh, hey, Mrs. Snyder-" Buttercup answered back, as Robin hurried quicker.

"Don't stop," she spoke in a whisper, "She's just gonna talk your ear off forever if we do."

The two reached Robin's room, and as they stepped inside the brunette immediately threw up her hands at the sight of the orange cat on her chair.

"Ginger, what the heck did we just talk about?" Robin sighed as she plucked the cat from the chair and sat her back on her bed. "Go on, Buttercup," she gestured towards the chair, "Have a seat."

Buttercup lowered herself onto the chair, and watched as Robin repositioned the standing mirror on the desk in front of them so that the green Puff's reflection was visible.

Robin took a hair comb in hand and stood behind the green Puff, "So, I know it's been a while, but," she began to part her friend's slick straight raven black hair, combing it to the right, "When we went to that show, we had done somethin' like... this..."

Buttercup stared ahead at the mirror's reflection and watched as Robin combed a large section of hair so that it swooped over and covered nearly all the facial scarring. The teen's dark hair blended well enough with the dark colored features, but it was still a style that wasn't exactly a favorite.

"If we wet it up a little and blow dry it, I can add some cool little flips to it if you want?" Robin stepped back and watched for Buttercup's reaction in the mirror. The scrunched up expression the tomboy wore was enough of an answer. "No?" Robin frowned. "Well... we can always try something different? Have anything in mind?"

"I think our options are pretty limited," Buttercup sighed, "It's fine, Robin. Just... do whatever you think will work, OK? I don't care."

Robin frowned. "But it's your hair. I don't want to decide for you."

"Knock, knock," Robin's mom interrupted at the doorway, "I'm off to work, Robin, but first I wanted to bring you girls some fresh fruit to snack on."

"Thanks, Mom," Robin walked over to her door and took the plate of assorted fruit from her mother.

"Hello, Buttercup."

"Hey, Mrs. Snyder."

"Did you girls have a fun sleepover last night?"

"Huh?" Buttercup glanced to Robin whose face blushed a bright pink. "Uh... yeah. Yeah, it was fun, Mrs. Snyder..."

"OK, Mom," Robin sat the plate of fruit down on her desk quickly and rushed back to her door, "You're gonna be late for work, so bye!"

"OK, OK, I'll get out of your hair! Goodbye, Buttercup-"

Robin shut the door and sighed heavily before turning around to face her friend with her cheeks still flushed.

"Dude," Buttercup couldn't help but smirk. "What was that about?"

Robin returned to standing behind the chair and tried her best to act casual, "Nothing-"

"Nah," the green Puff still smirked. "Were you up to no good last night or somethin'?"

"Yeah... thanks for playing along there." Robin laughed a little.

"Well, where were you?"

Robin looked at Buttercup and suddenly felt a wave of guilt. She did not want to lie, but she had to keep her word to her girlfriend. "Well, I was out somewhere... I probably shouldn't have been..."

Buttercup raised an eyebrow. "That's all you're gonna tell me for real?"

Robin bit her lip. "It's complicated, but... I'll tell you about it another time. Promise. It's a long story and we gotta get your hair done, right?"

Buttercup raised an eyebrow, but shrugged. "Alright," she watched Robin through the mirror as the girl popped an orange slice into her mouth and snacked quietly for a moment. "I gotta say, I'm a little surprised. I thought for sure you'd been spending way too much time with Goody-Goody lately. Glad she hasn't rubbed off on you too much."

Robin laughed nervously again, but forced herself to shake off her nerves. She refocused her attention on the head of black shaggy hair once more, "OK," she began again, tousling Buttercup's hair, "So what should we do with this?"

"I told ya," Buttercup shrugged, "Do whatever."

Robin frowned again, not sure how to proceed. She paused, "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure. What?"

"Do you really want your scar covered for this, or... is that just to try and make other people happy?"

The green Puff shrugged, "I dunno. Like I said earlier, I'm fucking over this stupid scar shit. But if everyone's gonna make such a big deal out of it, then what choice do I have?"

"You absolutely have a choice." Robin's teal eyes met Buttercup's emerald in the mirror, "Look, I know Blossom can be a bit pushy with her opinions sometimes- she _really_ is just trying to look out for you- but... if you really are tired of hiding your scar, and you really don't care what people think then..."

"Then what?"

Robin shrugged. "Then fuck 'em, right?"

Buttercup smirked, but said nothing.

Robin walked around the chair and stood in front of Buttercup. "Say... how brave are you feeling right now?"

Buttercup raised an eyebrow, "Whaddya mean?"

"I kinda wanna try something on you. I think you'll like it, but... it's gonna be different. Like... _total_ _makeover_ status!"

Buttercup raised an eyebrow, "Total makeover?"

"Yeah," Robin smiled. "OK, like, here's my vision, right?" She returned to behind the chair and began to comb her fingers through the green Puff's hair, "If you really feel like making a statement today and just showing off your scar, then I think we shouldn't hold back, right? I'm thinking we go really short. Like... all of this... gone. Well not _gone_ , gone, but you know what I mean right? And we'll leave this a little long on top- but not too long! Just enough so we can try out some different styles with it. Like... maybe gel it up, or we can slick it back, or we can even do like a fohawk!"

"So you're saying you wanna give me a haircut?"

"Well, yeah," Robin smiled again. "But, people will definitely be able to see your scar, so... how brave are you feeling?"

Buttercup thought for a moment. Looking at Robin, the girl seemed to hold her breath for an answer. "Alright," Buttercup smirked. "Let's try it."

"OK, great! Let me grab my dad's clippers! I'll be right back!"

As the brunette rushed out of the room, the invisible tag-along watched as she passed and grinned at Buttercup, "Dude. I think she's into us."

The green Puff's eyes narrowed briefly on the kid, but said nothing.

It did not take long for the brunette to return with a pair of electric clippers in hand. Buttercup watched as she rushed over to the desk with an eager grin as she turned away the mirror, "Big makeovers require big reveals. So no mirror until the end, alright?"

Buttercup laughed a little, "Alright."

"OK," she gently tilted Buttercup's head forward, and switched on the clippers that she held in her right hand, "You ready?"

"Yeah."

"You sure? Once it's off, I can't exactly glue it back on, you know?"

"Dude," the raven haired teen laughed again, "Just do it, already."

"OK! Here we go!"

Buttercup held still, head tilted forward, watching as the clumps of jet black hair began to fall upon the floor. " _Woah_ ," the teenager laughed nervously, "That's a lot of hair..."

"I know, I know. Are you regretting it?"

"No, no. Keep going."

"OK..."

It took about twenty minutes for Robin to do her work, but as the green Puff waited and watched the many strands of hair falling, there was a rising feeling of excitement stirring within. Any time the Puff had gone to a hair salon in the past and asked for "short," the shortest received was a simple bob that came just about chin length. And for the last three years, the awkward teen had tried to avoid places like hair salons, so simple do-it-yourself chops at home was all that was done. That usually involved just tying one's hair into a small ponytail and cutting it with a pair of scissors.

Robin stepped away from her friend with a giant grin once all was complete. "Oh my God..." she breathed with excitement, "It looks really good." She rushed over to her desk and grabbed the mirror and stood in front of the green Powerpuff. "You ready to see?" Robin received a nod, and so she turned the mirror around and held it up, "So... whaddya think?"

" _Woah_ ," the green Puff stared back at the reflection, jaw totally dropped. Like Robin promised, it was definitely a big change. The teenager's raven hair was cropped short, with the back and sides clipped down to just under half an inch left. The top of the new cut was left a little long, and still a bit shaggy, but the bangs stopped just above the brow. The 'V' shaped scar on the Powerpuff's face no longer hid between peaks of long, stringy black hair. It was there for all to see, and could definitely not be ignored now. Slowly, a grin swept the green Puff's face.

"Do you like it?" Robin held her breath.

"Dude. It actually looks... _good_."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," the teen lifted a scarred hand and played with the new style a bit, grinning still in the mirror.

"Oh my God, I'm so glad you like it!"

The green Puff looked up at Robin, still grinning, "Thanks, Rob."

As the pair of friends smiled at one another, they heard the sounds of Bubbles and Blossom approaching from downstairs.

"OK, we're here!" Bubbles announced as she entered the room first. Her baby blue eyes fell on her sibling and at first all she could do was stare in stunned silence as Blossom came in next.

"We brought our uniforms over so we can get dressed. How's it going in here-" Blossom stopped next, her jaw instantly dropping the moment she saw the green Puff sitting in the purple chair with the drastic new look. The pink Puff found herself speechless.

Bubbles suddenly erupted in a loud, high pitched squeal, "OHMIGOSH YOU LOOK AMAZING, BUTTERCUP!"

"Doesn't she?!" Robin squealed next.

"I AM FREAKING OUT!" Bubbles bounced in place, overwhelmed by giddiness, "OHMIGOSH! IT'S LIKE SO... SO... _YOU_!"

"I know, right?!" Robin grinned. "To be honest, I was kinda going for a little bit of Joe Strummer for you, Buttercup. Can you tell?"

The green Puff laughed, "Ha, yeah. I can see that, I guess."

"OK, OK," Bubbles zipped over to where her sibling sat, "Get up! It's my turn!" As the green Puff stood, Bubbles immediately took a seat in the purple chair. "But no haircut necessary. Just curls, please," she smiled at Robin.

Robin picked up her curling iron and grinned, "So the usual, Bubbles?"

"Yes, please!" the blue Puff giggled.

The green Powerpuff found another mirror on the wall of the bedroom and floated over to it, continuing to run scarred fingers through the new do. Blossom watched from the doorway, holding onto the three sets of uniforms and still somewhat in shock from the new reveal. Her sibling seemed to be all smiles, looking into the mirror. Slowly, the pink Puff approached from behind. "Here's your uniform," she said quietly as she handed the green attire over.

"Thanks. Hey Robin, can I use your bathroom to get dressed?"

"Sure, of course!"

Blossom watched as her sibling carried the green uniform and floated out of the room. The redhead bit her lip for a moment, before following after.

"Hey, Buttercup," Blossom called out as she stepped out into the hallway. "Can I get a sec?"

The green Puff stopped and turned around. "What?"

Blossom tried to force a smile, but it was difficult. Everyone else was so enthusiastic and so excited for Buttercup, but Blossom could not help but always think logically about things. She did not want to ruin her sibling's fun, but at the same time, she felt as if someone had to point out the obvious risk of the situation. Apparently, that always had to be her. She took a deep breath before beginning, "You know... you know that I support you no matter what, right?"

"Uh huh..."

"Well, I do," Blossom paused. "But Buttercup... with your hair like that now... are you sure you don't want to reconsider maybe-"

"I ain't wearing makeup, Blossom."

"OK, OK," Blossom responded quickly, "It's just... well, you do know that everyone will be able to see... _your scar_... right?"

"Yeah. I know."

"Good," Blossom tried to smile again, but failed again. "If that's what you want, then good."

"Uh huh... Look, Blossom, I know you hate it, alright?"

"I do _not_ hate it!" Blossom defended herself, "I actually really like it, too. Like Bubbles said, it's definitely... _you_." Blossom paused, "It's just... well, I just want you to remember that... we kinda tried this before, right? At the Discovery Dome premiere, remember? And, well, I just remember how tough that experience ended up being for you... How all the media started making up stories and all... Your depression got even worse, and you started that sleep walking thing for a while..." Blossom gulped. "There's going to be media from all over today. Plus the photoshoot, which will be what is ultimately on all the billboards and magazines and everywhere... So... I just... don't want you to have to go through something like that again. Does that make sense?"

The green Puff blinked at Blossom for a while, before beginning in a low voice "That... definitely sucked," Buttercup sighed heavily, "But... it's different now, alright? I get that showing up with a short boy's cut and my face fucked up is gonna freak some people out. And yeah, they probably will make up more stories after this. Shit, I'll bet money on it. But... I know now... no matter what, they're gonna call me a monster 'cause of this," Buttercup raised a scarred hand to the 'V' shaped blemish, "And that's never going away." A small frown briefly swept the Puff's face, "You want me to prove people wrong by catching all the villains, and that's fine I guess. We can try. But one thing's for sure, Blossom, you're not gonna convince people that I ain't ugly, 'cause I am-"

"No, you're not-"

"It's fine, Blossom," the green Puff interrupted firmly, but the statement sounded almost more consoling than combative. "I know how I look, and I know that there are always gonna be idiots who talk shit about it, but I don't care what they gotta say anymore. I've heard it all. I'm fucking numb at this point, alright? So," a deep sigh, "I appreciate you lookin' out, but you gotta fucking stop, Blossom. There's nothing left to defend me on with this, or try and fix somehow. It's my face. It's not gonna change. And I don't care anymore. OK?"

"OK..." Blossom watched her skinny sibling closely, surprised by the rare calmness then. That morning it felt as if Buttercup was going to be in a difficult mood all day, but Blossom could not sense any agitation then. She bit her lip, before giving the slightest nod and repeating more confidently. "OK."

"OK then," the green Puff returned the nod and reached for the bathroom door handle. Before stepping inside, Blossom spoke up one last time.

"Your hair really does look good like that, Buttercup."

"...Thanks."

* * *

Even on a clear, cloudless summer day, standing at the edge of the dock, the island was barely visible and looked to be just a speck in the distance. The bright blue ocean waves were calm that morning and the sea breeze was light. It seemed like the perfect day to set sail, and it was what she had come there to do. The only slight obstacle, of course, was she would first need to find someone who would be willing to take her where she needed to go. Monster Isle had always been a destination the average boatman would naturally want to avoid. However, persuasion had always been the villainess's specialty, and she knew she would eventually find someone. She always did.

Her camouflage for the day was a curly honey blonde wig, a tightly fitted halter dress in light coral that hugged her hourglass shape perfectly and in all the right ways, and a pair of matching kitten heels. Sedusa called this particular disguise: Natalie.

Natalie walked along the wooden platform with her heels clicking beneath her as her bright green eyes searched about for anyone that may be useful. Unfortunately, while there were many cabin cruisers and sailboats parked along the dock, there didn't appear to be a single potential sailor in sight. It was early enough still though that she knew she had time. With the summer morning sun blazing brightly above, she set her sights on a small, seaside bar that faced the ocean water where she could wait for her next prey someplace cool.

It was mostly empty inside the darkened establishment- just a single bartender, and one sad, passed out lonely alcoholic asleep in a booth. The only light inside the tiny tavern shone in through a singular, small window that hung above the bar, and a small television screen that hung on the back wall. As the seductress stepped inside and surveyed her surroundings, she glided closer to the television set which was muted.

On screen, was the local news covering a live event taking place at City Hall. Natalie's green eyes narrowed on the redheaded politician who stood upon the capitol steps and behind a podium, speaking to a large crowd of reporters and press. The sight of Mayor Bellum was enough to make her blood boil.

"Would you like me to turn that up for you, Ma'am?" the bartender shouted from behind the bar.

"No, that's alright," she answered with her back still turned and still watching the screen. As the camera shot pulled backward, it revealed three teenagers in bright, pastel colored tracksuits standing on display behind the speaking politician. The blonde in baby blue was obviously Bubbles, and the redhead in pink was obviously Blossom, but the final raven-haired teenager in green... "Who's the boy with the ugly face?"

"Boy?" the bartender looked up from the bar towards the screen. "Oh. Haha, good one, Lady."

Natalie turned away from the TV and made her way over to the bar, taking a seat upon the nearest stool. The bartender's attention was elsewhere as she sat down.

"Seems strange for a team called 'the Powerpuff Girls' to recruit a boy."

"Ha, well, everything about that Buttercup sure is strange if you ask me."

"Buttercup?" she turned her head once more to look at the news broadcast. The pale faced hero in green with the dark 'V' shaped scar stood up tall and straight, like a good little soldier, and just like both sisters. "Hm. Yes. Strange..."

"So what can I get for you?" the bartender asked as he approached the blonde from behind the bar.

As the woman turned her head, her sparkling bright green eyes locked with the man's instantly, causing him to freeze momentarily, almost as if turned to stone. "I'm looking for a sailor," Natalie's unblinking eyes continued to glimmer as she spoke in a soft, sweet voice. "Do you know of any around here?"

The bartender stood still for a moment, before he began to blink slowly once more. He cleared his throat, and feeling himself suddenly extremely parched, he found it difficult to speak at first. He took a glass from the bar, filled it quickly with water and drank. The woman watched and waited patiently with a small, calm smile.

"A sailor?" he repeated at last. A sly smile crossed his face as his eyes ran up and down the woman then. "You want to find yourself a sailor?"

She smiled. "Yes. Do you know any?"

"What can a sailor do for you, Honey?"

"Hm," she smiled, "Name's Natalie."

"What can a sailor do for you, Natalie?"

"I want to take a trip, but I need a boat to get there."

"Where do you wanna go?"

"The island."

"Island? You mean... Monster Isle?"

"Yes. That is what they still call it nowadays, right?"

"Well, sorry to disappoint you, but I know for a fact that that island is strictly off limits to the public."

"Well, then I guess I need to find a _daring_ sailor then, don't I?"

The bartender cleared his throat again, before taking another sip of water. "I really hate to bring a frown to such a pretty face, but even if you find such a sailor to take you there, they've had that island closed off for... well, just about six years now. The only type of boat or ship I've seen set sail for Monster Isle since then are either military or expeditionary."

"How does one 'close off' an island?"

"You're not from around here, are you?"

Natalie just smiled, her bright green eyes shimmering.

The bartender sat his short glass upon the bar. "Well, here's your island," he gestured to the cup as he retrieved a stack of square, red colored coasters. He boxed the cup in with four coasters, placing a final fifth coaster on top, "And these would be your island walls. No way in, and no way out, you see? Unless you got the proper authorization, that is."

"Hm. That is disappointing," she pursed her lips. "You said military is allowed and who else again?"

"Expeditioners, Ma'am. You know, scientists."

Natalie raised an eyebrow and then smiled again. "Scientists, huh?"

* * *

It had been nearly five and a half hours of posing and smiling under bright, beaming studio lights for what must have amounted to at least a thousand or more photographs, and the super hero troupe found themselves exhausted. As if their annual press photos weren't enough to handle, their duties of protecting the city did not end for the day. The team leader insisted on the three maintaining their surveillance sweep schedule, spending each brief "break" the group received throughout their shoot scouting for crime within the city. Lucky for them, it had been a quiet day in Townsville.

The blue and green Powerpuffs sat together on a bench that sat off to the side of the ongoing photoshoot, watching the pink Puff pose for her solo shots. The photographers had finished with Buttercup's solo shoot relatively quickly- something the green Puff did not mind, of course despising the entire process. Forcing a smile for hours was an irritating task, and after a while the teenager dropped the fake grin and embraced a scowl for the cameras instead. This was when the camera crew called it a wrap, however. Buttercup had managed to ignore all the gawking stares and whispered gossip throughout the day. But as the skinny teen slouched upon the bench and watched Blossom under the spotlight, there was a rising frustration beginning to build. Probably because it was getting difficult to ignore the nagging kid who had yet to shut up all day.

" _Ugggghhhh_ ," the kid groaned from where she dramatically lay sprawled out on the floor at the green Puff's feet. "When is this fucking bullshit going to be over?! Dude, we still gotta meet up with Mojo! If we don't then he's gonna turn us in! Come on, already! _Ughhhhh_ , how many pictures do they need of that Goody-Goody anyway?! Just look at her! Everyone's fucking favorite! They can't get enough of her stupid fake ass smile! They just think she's sooo perfect! Give me a fucking break-"

The green Puff kicked her foot at the illusion to stop.

Bubbles noticed the sudden hard stomp that seemed to come from nowhere, and glanced at her sibling, "You OK?"

"Yeah," Buttercup muttered, sitting up again and cracking scarred knuckles, "I'm fine."

Bubbles looked from Buttercup to where Blossom stood against the brightly lit backdrop and sighed before taking another bite of her veggie burger. She had just finished with her own photos, and had been enjoying the dinner Mayor Bellum had ordered for her and her siblings. As she chewed she gently rubbed her chubby cheeks with one hand, "Ow," she swallowed her food, "My cheeks kinda hurt from having to smile so much."

"Imagine how I feel," the green Puff muttered.

Bubbles looked at Buttercup again. Beside her sibling sat the unopened to-go bag containing the burger Bellum had gotten for her. "Aren't you gonna eat?"

"Not hungry."

"But you didn't touch the lunch Miss Bellum got for us either-"

"I said I'm not hungry."

"OK," Bubbles frowned. She sat down her veggie burger for a moment to check the time on her new blue wristwatch. "It's almost six," she mentioned sadly.

"So?"

"So I have work soon," she sighed. "I hope this is almost over."

Buttercup heard this and perked up a little before turning to Bubbles, "Hey... can I ask you for a favor tonight?"

Bubbles paused to finish her bite. She swallowed, "You don't mean you want me to lie for you again, do you?"

"Not lie. Just cover for me."

"Covering for you always means lying."

"Well, then fine. Yeah, I need you to lie for me, alright? Just say I'm going to work with you again, OK? Simple."

Bubbles frowned. "Buttercup, after everything that happened with the coyotes," she sat her burger down for good, suddenly feeling her appetite gone, "I really don't want to keep secrets anymore- I... I've been feeling really confused and-"

"Ugh. Come on, Bubbles. You owe me. Remember?"

Across the room the two could hear the announcement at long last being made, "OK that's a wrap! Amazing work, Blossom! Thank you!" They turned their heads and saw their redheaded sister stepping off from her marker at last and beginning to slowly walk towards them.

"So?" Buttercup whispered.

"...OK," Bubbles squeaked.

"OK, Girls," Blossom began with an exhausted sigh, "All that's left is just approving the edits. The team said they'll need another hour or so before proofs are ready so in the meantime, let's get some surveillance sweeps finished and-"

"Blossom, do we have to be here for that part?" Bubbles interrupted with a squeak.

"Right. You got work, Bubbles. I haven't forgotten," she smiled at her blue eyed sister. "After sweeps, you can head to work. Since we're a little behind on our usual schedule, Buttercup and I will meet up with you at 9:30 for our next round of surveillance-"

"Well, I was gonna help Bubbles at work tonight," Buttercup spoke up. "Right, Bubs? You said the hospital was slammed, right?"

Bubbles nodded. "Right..."

"Oh," Blossom paused for a moment. "Sure. I guess I can just check the proofs myself," she frowned a little, "But I will text you guys what the edits are before I approve anything. So find some time at work to check your phone if you can, Bubbles, OK?"

"OK," Bubbles answered.

"OK, it's sweep time then," the leader clapped her hands together as both her siblings rose from their seats. Once the two stood, she wedged herself between them as they began to head for the exit together. "Nice work today, Girls," she smiled as she draped both arms around each of her teammates' shoulders, "Didn't you guys think this year went a little bit faster than usual?"

"Yeah, I guess it wasn't that bad," Bubbles returned a small smile. "I hope we look good."

Buttercup responded with an eyeroll, but said nothing.

"I really think this year's shoot might be our best yet, Girls," Blossom continued to smile, "For once, I'm actually excited to see how everything turns out!"

* * *

As the evening sky grew darker, the iron lamp posts that lined the Downtown Bridge began to flicker and glow. Mojo had spent enough time observing from his post above to know that this meant it was exactly seven then. The green Powerpuff would be arriving any moment, and so he waited patiently upon the water tower's landing and continued to silently watch the city below. It would still be several more hours before the busy streets of Downtown died down for the night, and when the citizens retired to their homes.

Despite the population of citizens on the streets, Mojo had curiously observed for himself that the passersby below never seemed to pay the abandoned, rusty monument any attention. Mojo imagined it was because the water tower had aged into nothing but an eyesore to the people of Townsville. After all its paint was faded and chipped, its metal rusted, and its piping and tank were bare and dry. Decrepit, worn and ugly, Townsville had no use for it anymore, and so it was simply ignored by all. The more Mojo thought about this, the more confident and determined he became in his mind.

 _This_ would be the place.

"H-hey?" a timid voice called out from the other side of the tower's landing. "A-alright, I'm here... Mojo...? Are you up here...?"

A sly smirk crossed the villain's face. He could not help but find it amusing that the teenager found him so intimidating still after all this time. "Over here, Joey," Mojo answered, staying where he stood facing the Downtown Bridge.

The green Powerpuff slowly came around the largest center beam of the tower, and found the villain on the other side. He stood with his back turned towards them, overlooking the tower railing with his purple cape blowing freely in the wind. The young hero gulped hard before slowly continuing towards him, their heart pounding in their chest and still internally dreading what could possibly come next.

The anxiety about their meeting had been with them all day, but all their nerves had severely intensified the moment they touched down upon the metal landing of the tower. And although the green Puff tried desperately to ignore it, the kid was huddled close behind them, panicking and whispering incessantly in their ear: "This is gonna suck- this is gonna suck- this is gonna suck-"

The green Puff halted just behind the villain. "So," they gulped again. "I-I'm here... What did you want? ...What is it? ...Why am I here?"

Mojo smirked again to himself choosing to let the silence go on a little longer than necessary. It obviously rattled his enemy, after all, and even he- a villain- deserved to have a little fun. He took just a minute for himself as the teenager squirmed nervously, before slowly turning around to face them.

Mojo's eyes widened briefly as they fell upon the unexpected new haircut the tomboy possessed. "Hmph," he began with a raised eyebrow, "If you had wished to replace your recently lost mask with a new form of disguise, I'm afraid just a haircut is not enough to hide," he paused and motioned with a gloved white hand round his face, "Your more _prominent_ features."

The green Puff blinked back, confused as to what he was talking about at first. "Oh," they paused, raising a scarred hand to their hair, "Yeah, no. This was for-" the hero stopped themself, and tried to force a serious face, "What do you want, Mojo?"

Mojo smirked again, before placing both his hands behind his back and strolling past the teenager. "What does Mojo want?" he repeated as he came round the other side of the center beam, the green Puff following slowly and cautiously behind him. "Well, I suppose there are many things that I want and desire," Mojo began as they came round and stopped at a spot on the landing beside the center beam where the green Puff noticed an assortment of tools scattered upon the floor and traces of metal shavings. "Especially, considering all that I had managed to acquire and achieve for myself was taken from me when I was thrown into that accursed Villains Ward- my lair, my inventions, my arsenal, my belongings, my freedom! Yes, there is much to be replaced, and much to restore before Mojo can truly reclaim the power that was stolen from him..."

The green Puff stood and watched as Mojo reached somewhere behind his cape and pulled out a rolled sheet of paper. "So... I'm supposed to help somehow with that?"

Mojo unfurled the sheet in his hands, holding it up for the green Puff to see, "As Mojo promised, it is a simple project, Joey," he handed the sheet over to Joey, and reapproached the largest metal beam at the center of the tower landing. "Easy enough for someone with your capabilities that is."

The sheet the green Puff held in their scarred hands was a blueprint sketched out by the villain himself. As they held it up, they saw that the spherical shape of the architectural design perfectly lined up with the shape of the water tank. Lowering the sheet, their emerald eyes fell on Mojo who stood underneath the area where the tank dipped down lowest into the landing space. The short simian removed a cut section of metal from the thick center beam of the tower.

The hollow space inside was dark and as the villain crouched to stick his head through the small opening, his voice echoed as he continued to speak to the Puff, "First task of course will be to get rid of all this rust and grime! I want this entire interior scrubbed and polished! Much of this piping will have to be removed as well! All of which can be repurposed elsewhere of course! And we will save _this_ portion here-" the villain stopped and removed his head from the opening and looked at the teenager who stood behind him, staring silently with wide green eyes. "What are you doing just standing there and gawking?! There is much to complete before the night is through!"

"Wait," the teenager shook their head from where they stood. "You want me to help build you a new lair?"

"Yes, of course," Mojo rolled his eyes a little, "How was that not clear? Come on now!" he motioned for Joey to come closer, "How can you understand my instructions without observing for yourself exactly what it is that I am referring to?!"

"Wait, but you wanna build it _here_?" the green Puff looked from the sketches in their scarred hands to Mojo again and stared in disbelief, "Why here?!"

Mojo turned around fully to face them and crossed his arms, "Why not here? The tank's two million gallons of water is drained and gone, leaving adequate space inside for a comfortable home and work space. It is a place where neither the Powerpuffs or the police have bothered to search in the past several days. It has the potential to serve as a good lookout location, although the view could be improved-"

"You can't build your lair here!" Joey stomped their foot in protest, "I... I was here first!"

Mojo laughed, "Oh, were you?"

"Y-yeah!"

"Hmph," Mojo smirked, "Tough luck."

The green puff's eyes narrowed on the villain, as they clenched their teeth silently in frustration.

Mojo's devious smile only widened. But he reveled in his enemy's misery only for a brief moment longer, before he forced himself to stay focused on the task at hand once more. He motioned again for Joey, "Now, come on," he turned back around, "As I stated earlier, there is much to complete tonight!"

" _Ugh_ ," the young hero grumbled again, cracking their scarred knuckles as they approached the villain, " _Fine_. Let's do this..."

* * *

Closing time for the animal hospital was at 8 PM and so Bubbles spent the rest of her late shift tending to the kennels at the back of the veterinary facility. The blue Powerpuff had just finished feeding all the boarding animals when she had a moment finally to check her cell phone for any messages. Sure enough, there were several from Blossom, and Bubbles opened them to find all the proofs their leader had promised to send before approval.

" _Show these to Buttercup and let me know if you guys both approve! I think they look great_!" Blossom's text message read with the attached photos.

Bubbles swiped quickly through the pictures on her cell, as a smile swept her face. " _OMG I LOVE THEM_!" she texted back immediately.

" _What about Buttercup_?" Blossom's reply came fast.

Bubbles paused. Her sibling of course was not with her. But Bubbles had promised to cover for the green Puff and so she took a deep breath and replied, " _Yeah she said she likes them too_!"

" _Great! I'll let the PR team know! See you guys at 9:30 for sweeps_!"

" _Okie dokie_ ," Bubbles returned her cell to her pocket and was passing through the hospital's main hallway when she overheard the receptionist speaking to somebody in the lobby.

"Sorry, but even if the veterinarian was still here, there's no way she would see your... _dog_..."

"But, I just rescued 'im off the streets, and my Mom says if I'm gonna keep 'im then he needs his shots before she'll let 'im in the house-"

"I'm sorry, but, we only treat domesticated animals here, and I'm pretty sure your dog is, well, a coyote..."

Bubbles stopped in her tracks as she heard this. She turned around and began to float quickly down the hallway and towards the hospital's front lobby.

"Jeez, you guys call yourselves animal lovers, huh? Fuck this then. I'll take 'im someplace else. Come on, Killer."

As the blue Powerpuff appeared in the lobby, she arrived just as a tall boy with messy brown hair retreated towards the hospital entrance, holding onto a black nylon dog leash which was attached to a spiked collar worn by...

Bubbles gasped quietly to herself with a small squeak, " _Victor_..." The blue Powerpuff had yet to see her coyote friend since he disappeared after Fuzzy's fateful "accident." Being the former leader of the coyote pack, she imagined Victor took all the blame in what had happened that day. Bubbles had searched everywhere she could think of to find him so that they could talk about everything, and so that she could convince him to return to the sanctuary, but she had had no luck.

The blonde stood behind the receptionist desk with her mouth slightly agape as she watched the grey coated coyote exit the building with his new owner. The canine hadn't seen her himself, and Bubbles debated momentarily over whether she should follow him or not. She certainly never imagined the coyote would find a new home, and as a pet at that. Truthfully, she wasn't sure what to think of it.

"Mari, I'm gonna take five real quick, OK?" Bubbles said as she floated quickly around the front desk.

"Sure, Bubbles. No problem."

The blue Puff exited the hospital and watched from the entrance as Victor continued across the parking lot with his new owner. She took a deep breath before deciding to quietly follow.

The teenager reached the sidewalk and stood under the light of a nearby street lamp, he paused to retrieve a dog biscuit from his pants pocket and offered it to Victor who heeled and sat patiently for it with a wagging tail. "Good boy, Killer!" Finally seeing his face as he grinned at Victor then, Bubbles recognized who the boy was from school.

She halted midway through the parking lot and blinked in disbelief. "Mitch Mitchelson?"

"Come on," Mitch patted the coyote on his head before grasping his leash firmly in one hand. "Let's go home, Boy!" Mitch took off in a sprint down the sidewalk, and Victor excitedly followed right alongside him.

Bubbles watched quietly as the two raced down the sloped hill together, unsure of how to interpret the situation. She had always believed Mitch Mitchelson to be one of the worst people on the planet. But seeing that Mitch had taken it upon himself to rescue Victor from the streets definitely surprised her. And Victor looked... happy. She had been so worried that the canine might have fled some place far away and for good, and that she would never get to see him again. As strange as the sight was to see him with Mitch of all people, Bubbles still could not help but feel a great sense of relief just knowing that her friend was out there and OK.

The blue Powerpuff waited until the boy and dog had disappeared entirely out of sight before turning back to return to the hospital. She wondered if she should try and visit Victor at his new home just to make sure he was truly alright. After all... it was Mitch Mitchelson he was with.

* * *

The superpowered teenager had made fast work of their laser eye beams, using them at different degrees to easily gut, clean and polish the interior of the water tower's tank. The only attached piping that remained was the large center pipe which traveled from the middle of the tank all the way down to the base of the tower below. Mojo explained how he planned to build an elevator within the vertical steel tunnel and construct a secret entrance for himself below. Inside the tank, they would have to construct three different levels. The first two were designed to be Mojo's living areas, with a bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, living room and two separate studies and library. The third level and largest area would be the villain's new work place for all his villainous pursuits. On the blueprints Mojo had sketched, Joey curiously noted that the work space would have more than a hundred feet of space between the ground and the ceiling above. It seemed like a lot of space to just leave empty, but the green Puff was sure that the design could not be by accident. Whatever he planned to use his workspace for... it was going to be big.

"Remember, Joey! After tonight, you forget all of these ingenious details I am sharing with you! This is not for the Powerpuffs to know!" the villain kept repeating throughout the night. The more he said it, the more the green Puff found themselves cracking a small smile in response.

After about an hour of cleaning and initial construction and repurposing what scraps they could, Mojo announced that it was time for their first supply run of the night. They would need to get all the necessary equipment and tools needed to complete the lair. Mojo had prepared an itemized list of what they would need, already scouting out a location earlier that day on his own- a home improvement store on the east side of town. The supply warehouse he had planned to rob after hours for materials wasn't far from the water tower itself, and when the green Puff offered to fly them there, Mojo declined.

"There will be much to carry back to the new lair. It is one thing for the two of us to go unnoticed in the evening sky, but I am afraid we will need another form of transportation in order to safely haul everything back undetected and unseen," the short simian explained as the green Puff swiftly carried him down from the tower.

The superpowered teenager sat Mojo on his feet once they reached the grassy ground. The Puff watched curiously as Mojo continued to a row of unkempt hedges and bushes that were on the other side of the tower's base. Once they saw him disappear between the thick foliage they followed after him. Once on the other side, the skinny teen's emerald eyes widened with surprise, "Dude, a pickup truck?" They laughed a little, finding the rusted, beat up vehicle to clash with Mojo's usual shiny steel robots the villain used to operate in the past. "Where'd you get this old thing from?"

"Mojo found it during his venture home last night from that accursed museum," the chimp explained as he opened the driver's side and hoisted himself onto the seat.

"Huh," the green Puff walked over to the passenger side and opened the door. Their emerald eyes fell first on the assortment of bundled, exposed wires that protruded from underneath the truck's steering wheel and then on the yellow handled screwdriver that was wedged in the ignition. " _Found it?_ " the teenager couldn't help but smirk a little.

Mojo returned a small smirk, as he started up the engine. He waited for the green Puff to join him inside the cabin. "Tell Mojo, what is the current time now, Joey?"

The green Puff checked their wristwatch, "8:22 PM."

"We must be mindful of your Puffery duties tonight and get you back to your surveillance sweeps as scheduled to ensure that your absence from your sisters is not noticed. After all, if you are caught red handed tonight, then Mojo is caught red handed as well, and this is something I wish for us both to avoid," Mojo spoke as he reversed the truck out from their camouflaged parking spot behind the tower. As the green Puff buckled their seat belt, they curiously observed how the short simian had managed to alter the gas and brake pedal, extending them out for the short legged driver.

"When are your sisters expecting your return exactly?"

"How do you know about our sweeps schedule?"

" _Hmph_ ," Mojo smirked from behind the wheel as they pulled out of the grassy empty lot that surrounded the tower and onto a nearby road, "Mojo did not earn the title of Townsville's top villain by sharing his tactical secrets with his enemies."

The teenager rolled their eyes. "I gotta be back by 9:30, alright?"

"Excellent. Yes, that should be plenty of time for us to complete this supply run of ours. No, we should not require much time to get everything that we need. After our heist is complete, Mojo will transport our new equipment back himself to the tower, and assemble our power generators while you attend to your Powerpuffery." The rickety old truck's worn brakes screeched slightly as they came to a stop at a red light. As the green Puff turned to look at the villain then they saw that he reached behind his purple colored triangular belt buckle to retrieve something small. "Take this with you when you return home after your sweeps."

Mojo placed a small computer USB drive into the teen's scarred palm. "What's this?"

The light turned green and they rolled along the darkened street once more. "While you are home," Mojo continued to explain as he drove, "You will take that drive into your father's laboratory and place it into his work computer. Leave it there for fifteen seconds before you remove it. Then, after all your Puff duties are finished and when your family is asleep for the night, you will return with it to Mojo and we will complete our work. We will certainly need to wait until most of the city slumbers before beginning our next stage of construction and before carrying the bulk of our supplies into the lair."

"What's this thing gonna do after I stick it in the Professor's computer?"

"What did Mojo just say about not sharing his tactical secrets with his enemies?" Mojo huffed from behind the steering wheel. "Must he always repeat himself? Must everything I say always be said again- reiterated- retold- re-"

"OK, OK," the green Puff felt another smirk as they slipped the small drive into their pants pocket, "I got it."

"Good," Mojo came to another red light and stopped. He turned his head and glanced briefly at the green Puff, who had their gaze focused on the road ahead of them. Mojo had always remembered the scowl faced child to have a sour attitude, and from their time together, and once the hero had relaxed a little in his presence, he could see that this had not changed. Underneath all that scarring, it was still the same kid. As the teenager turned to look at Mojo, the chimp quickly looked away before they could see his gaze and returned his attention to the road. The light turned green, and they started forward again once more.

It was certainly strange for the green Puff to be working alongside so closely with the villain after not seeing him really since they were ten-years-old. Even though the hero would never admit it, during their old battles against one another, the young Puff used to really fear him most of the time. He had definitely come close to killing them and their sisters on multiple occasions. But... there was a brief time before they had officially become enemies when a young Buttercup actually liked the chimp. The green Puff initially found him to be incredibly smart, witty, and often truthfully hilarious even if he didn't mean to be. Of course then, he was just Jojo, and then, the five-year-old had no way of predicting that the kind, sympathetic simian who took them in when the rest of the world had shunned them would turn around and betray them.

But of course that was then, and this was now. Now, the sixteen-year-old knew better, and as often as they found themself involuntarily cracking a smirk at all of the villain's antics throughout the evening, they knew- deep down- that they could not let themself forget this fact. He was not just a villain. He was the villain. And at the end of the day, he was still the enemy.

* * *

With just two minutes left until Blossom's arrival, Bubbles watched the night sky anxiously as she stood outside the vet hospital still waiting for Buttercup's return. She poked at her wrist communicator wishing she knew just how to use it so she could try and contact the green Puff. With all the chaos of the earlier day, Blossom must have forgotten she hadn't exactly explained how the new device worked. Bubbles had only realized this then. Thankfully though, there was a flash of green light just as her wrist watch ticked over to 9:29 PM and her sibling landed beside her.

Bubbles sighed big with relief, "Ohmigosh you made it! I really thought you were gonna be late tonight!"

The green puff rolled their eyes, "I told ya I wouldn't-"

"OHMIGOSH, BUTTERCUP, YOU ARE NOT GOING TO BELIEVE THIS!" Bubbles interrupted suddenly with a high pitched squeal.

" _Jeez_ , Bubbles," the tomboy cringed slightly from their sister's sudden loud outburst, " _What?_ "

"I found Victor!"

Another eyeroll, "Cool, Bubbles."

There was a flash of pink light that fell from the sky next as Blossom landed between the pair, "Ready for sweeps?" The blue and green Puff each gave the leader a nod, and Blossom returned a smile, "Good. Let's go!"

The trio took off together in the summer night sky. By this point, their surveillance routes had become second nature to them. Bubbles kept watch from the right, Blossom led them flying center, and Buttercup's job was to keep watch from the left. The heroes raced from one end of the city to the next in their brightly colored formation, combing quickly through every street. It only took them fifteen minutes to complete the job. Once again, for the time being at least, everything looked to be in order, and yet again, no villains were found.

As the triplets touched down on their home's front porch, Blossom held the door open for both of her siblings before following them inside. "How was work at the vet hospital tonight, you two?" the redhead asked curiously as she shut the door behind them.

"Good," Bubbles responded somewhat quietly and quickly as she began for their home's staircase.

"Yeah, it was fine," Buttercup added, watching Bubbles closely. As soon as it was noticed that the blue Puff was headed upstairs, the green Puff quickly followed after.

Blossom followed next, but was distracted by her cellphone in her hands as she texted her girlfriend, and did not see the way her raven haired sibling seemed to rush to the first bedroom door, pushing past Bubbles quickly as she ascended the stairway.

"Hey!" Bubbles frowned as she was bumped by her sibling, "What are you trying to beat me to the shower or something, Buttercup?"

"Buttercup, let Bubbles shower first, alright?" Blossom spoke without looking up from her phone as she continued to float past them and to her own room.

"Yeah, sure. Fine. Whatever," Buttercup stood outside the shut door to their room, guarding it until she saw the blue Puff disappear completely into the bathroom.

"Dude," the blood soaked kid spoke up beside them suddenly. "You can't keep her out of your room forever, ya know? Especially with how clingy that Big Baby is. Sooner or later, Bubbles is gonna see that those birds are gone, and when she finds out that you killed 'em and threw 'em in the garbage," the thirteen-year-old whistled a little and grinned, "She ain't _ever_ gonna forgive you for that."

The green Puff's eyes narrowed on the kid. Although they had succeeded in not speaking to the annoying illusion all day, she had yet to disappear. Usually, the kid only stuck around for an hour or two at most. Hanging around all day and night- following them into their dreams at night even- all of this was new.

"One problem at a time," the tomboy muttered, gripping Mojo's USB drive firmly in their scarred hand as they quickly descended the staircase.

The green Puff halted outside the shut door to the Professor's laboratory and listened first. The Professor could be heard inside, playing one of his Patsy Cline records as he continued to work in solitude. The teenager took a deep breath as they opened the door and descended the basement steps slowly.

"Oh, hello, Sweetie," the Professor immediately looked up from his work desk as he heard the sound of the basement door opening. He was immediately surprised to see that it was Buttercup. "Everything OK? What brings you down here?"

The green Puff kept both hands shoved deep in their pockets as they stopped at the bottom step. "I..." they paused to look around for a moment, "I wanted to come ask you about my phone..."

"Oh yes," the Professor smiled at his daughter before lowering the pair of safety goggles that rested on his forehead and returning his attention to his work momentarily, "I haven't forgotten, Buttercup. I just have the mayor's communicator line to finish here tonight. Tomorrow, I'll have the time to take you to get a new phone, alright?"

As the Professor kept busy, the green Puff carefully retreated backwards towards his computer desk. The drive was quickly inserted as the Puff watched him carefully, ensuring that he was still distracted. "Yeah... I tried looking for it everywhere, but... I have no idea where I coulda lost it..."

"That's fine, Buttercup," the Professor continued, still focused on work. "Like I said, we'll go tomorrow."

"OK, Professor." The green Puff removed the flash drive successfully and quickly hid it in their pockets once more. "Well, see ya tomorrow then-" as the superpowered teenager tried to rush from the room then, they turned to their right and failed to see the clear, glass box that stood in their path.

The Professor looked up from his station across the room just as the green Puff bumped into the large glass wall. "Careful there, Sweetie," he rose from his seat and came near.

"What the hell is this thing?" the tomboy rubbed the spot on their forehead where they had collided with the near invisible barrier.

The Professor stood on the other side of the ten foot by ten foot glass box where he appeared to hold a clear, glass door open. "Come, let me show you what I've been working on, Buttercup," he beamed proudly.

As the green Puff floated over to the other side, the Professor guided them inside the small glass room and shut the door. As it closed, the incessant sentimental, country crooning of the Patsy Cline record that had been playing in the Professor's lab suddenly went silent. Even with super hearing, the young hero could not hear it, or anything for that matter. They saw that the Professor was also speaking, but no sound was heard at all. Only the slowly increasing tempo beat of their own heart within their chest could be heard as a panicked claustrophobia began to rise within. They raised a scarred hand to the glass wall on their left and knocked against the surface, realizing it was the same crystal material the Professor had installed on their own bedroom window.

"OK, Professor," the green Puff began to laugh nervously from within the airtight, sealed room with Powerpuff-proof walls, "It's... cool... Can I get out now? Professor...?"

The green Puff watched as the Professor chuckled from the other side and rose a hand to his ear, shaking his head and saying something. Beside him, on the other side, stood the blood soaked apparition. The kid stared at herself with wide, panicked eyes but for once, appeared speechless.

After a short while, the Professor finally reached for the small electronic control board outside the room's door and entered a pass-code, opening the door once more. The Puff darted out of the glass container immediately with a flash of green light, "What is this thing?"

"Ah, so I guess you couldn't hear me then?"

"No, not even with super hearing!"

"This," the Professor grinned big as he rested a hand on the shut door of the crystal glass room, "Is the new prototype cell I've designed for the Villains Ward." He smiled at the tomboy, mistaking the shocked expression for simple amazement, "I told you once you girls manage to round up the villains, there won't be any more escaping!" He patted the glass box proudly and beamed once more, "I figured if it's strong enough to stop a Powerpuff, then it will be strong enough to stop anything or anyone! Whether that be a human, a mutant chimp, or well, _an alien_! What do you think?"

The green Puff gulped quietly, "It's... cool... Professor..." they retreated slowly for the basement steps, "Well... goodnight, OK?"

"Goodnight, Buttercup!" the Professor called out as the Puff zipped back up the basement stairs.

"Dude, what the fuck was that shit?!" the kid panicked as she hurried quickly behind herself, "This is not good- _this is not good_ - _this is **not** good, Dude_! What the fuck are we gonna do?! If cells like that get installed in the Villains Ward then what's gonna stop 'em from locking us up?!"

"Would you shut up?! You're not helping! Don't you think I fucking realize that?! Look, all it is is more of a reason to get this job done tonight and put all this behind us, OK?!"

"Who are you talking to, Buttercup?"

The green Puff had just emerged from their home's kitchen when the voice came from upstairs. The blue Powerpuff stood at the second floor railing, wrapped in her baby blue towel and fresh out from her shower.

"No one. Just... myself."

"Oh, OK," Bubbles shrugged as she retreated down the hallway and into her room.

"Yo, Bubs, wait up!" the green Puff shouted after the blue Puff, as an idea came to mind then.

Bubbles stopped and looked at her sibling who appeared beside her with a flash of green light then.

"I was gonna watch a movie downstairs. After you get dressed, did you wanna-"

The girl's baby blue eyes immediately lit up and she squealed before her sibling could complete the invite, "I'll pop us some popcorn!" She disappeared in her room with a flash of blue light.

The green Puff exhaled a deep sigh of relief, knowing just a little more time had been bought. A movie would keep the blue Puff distracted enough until it was time for their midnight sweeps together. The blonde usually went straight to bed after that. Once Joey was finished helping Mojo, then maybe their mind would be free enough then to try and find a solution to the deaths of her sisters' bird friends. Right then, it was impossible to try and think of anything with all that was going on. As the tomboy waited in the hallway for Bubbles, they leaned against the wall and held their throbbing head with a scarred hand.

"Did I hear it's movie night?" Blossom asked as she came out of her own bedroom next, still with her cellphone in hand.

"Yeah..."

The answer came with a grumble and Blossom finally looked up from her phone. She noticed her sibling looked pale and sweaty. Blossom frowned. "Are you OK, Buttercup?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just... a headache."

Blossom smiled weakly, "Well, it was a pretty long day today, but," she paused to place a comforting hand on her sibling's shoulder, "You did great at the conference and the shoot today, Buttercup. I know how you hate cameras, but honestly I think that new haircut Robin gave you really boosted your confidence somehow."

The green Puff smiled weakly, but said nothing.

Blossom raised her phone once more and continued, "You know which picture was my favorite of us?" she swiped through the device, "Let's see... Ah, yeah, _this_ one!"

The redhead turned round her phone to show off the finished photograph of the super hero team. The triplets stood in their traditional formation with Bubbles on the right, Blossom in the center and Buttercup posed on the left. As the green Puff looked at the picture, they hadn't really noticed much else detail except for one obvious thing...

" _Dude_!" the green Puff exclaimed as they ripped the phone from their sister's hand, "Where the fuck is my scar?!"

Blossom blinked back, "What do you mean?"

"I mean _where the fuck is my scar?_!"

"It's an edited photo, Buttercup, so they-"

"They just went ahead an _erased_ my fucking scar?!"

"Buttercup, I don't understand," Blossom continued to stare confused, "I texted everything to Bubbles beforehand and she said that you liked the photos-"

Just then a blue Puff emerged from her room, unaware of what she was walking into, "I'll get our popcorn started, Buttercup-"

"Bubbles!" the tomboy screamed as soon as their pigtailed sister passed by, causing her to screech to a stop. "How the fuck could you think this was OK?!"

"Wh-what?" Bubbles squeaked as she turned around, her baby blue eyes already glistening with tears.

"Did you seriously think I'd be OK with them painting over half of my fucking face with Photoshop?!"

"What? You seriously didn't see this, Buttercup?" Blossom blinked.

"Of course I fucking didn't! If I had, I woulda told ya then that this shit is fucking bullshit, Blossom!"

"Wait... So Bubbles, did you not show Buttercup the proofs like I asked you?" Blossom faced the blonde next.

Bubbles looked between both siblings and began to shake nervously, "I-I... I..." her blue eyes instantly became flooded and she buried her face in her hands as she cried out, "I told you I didn't wanna lie anymore, Buttercup!"

"Bubbles, what the fuck?! Are you fucking kidding me, right now?!"

"Buttercup, calm down-" Blossom interjected next, but between both her siblings she found it hard to get a word in for once.

"Buttercup didn't come to work with me-"

"Shut the fuck up, Bubbles-"

"I dunno where she went but she asked me to cover for her-"

"Bubbles, I fucking swear, _shut up_ -"

"And so when you texted me I was just trying to cover for her still and so I just answered what I thought she would say-"

"BUBBLES! SHUT YOUR STUPID BLUBBERING MOUTH, YOU FUCKING IDIOT!"

The blue Powerpuff retreated into her bedroom with loud, hard sobbing, "I WAS JUST TRYING TO HELP!"

Blossom stood with her jaw agape as she watched the door to her baby sister's room slam shut. She blinked next at her skinny sibling who still stood in the hallway with a mean, unblinking stare fixed on the shut door to Bubbles' room, clenching both scarred fists hard. "Buttercup," she began with wide bubblegum eyes, "What's going on-"

The rage-filled emerald eyes moved immediately next to Blossom when she spoke. "Blossom, you also thought this fucking bullshit was gonna be OK with me?!" the teen tossed their sister's cell back to them.

Blossom caught her phone and blinked back. "Buttercup, if it was just a pimple they would have also tried to touch it up somehow-"

"It's not a fucking pimple, Blossom! It's a fucking scar! It's _half_ my fucking face! _Ugh_!" the green Puff tore at their short black hair, "Don't you _ever_ fucking listen to me?! Why the fuck did I bother wasting my fucking breath earlier today trying to explain this shit to you?! Of course, a perfect _Goody-Goody_ like you can't understand it!"

"Understand what?"

The green Puff reached for the phone once more in her sister's hand, ripping it away to point at the picture again, "THIS. IS. _NOT_. ME. _OK?_!" The enraged teenager next pointed to their own face with their scarred hand, gesturing over and over again, "THIS! _THIS_ RIGHT HERE! _THIS IN FRONT OF YOU RIGHT NOW! THIS IS ME! OK?_!

Blossom continued to stare with wide eyes as her sibling tossed the phone back once more and she caught it again. She glanced down at the photo before looking back up, "Buttercup, I'm sorry... I-I thought that-"

" _NO_! YOU DON'T GET IT, BLOSSOM! YOU AND BUBBLES! YOU'RE _NEVER_ GOING TO GET IT, ARE YOU?!"

"Buttercup-"

"I DON'T WANNA HEAR YOUR FUCKING TIRED ASS EXCUSES FOR THIS, BLOSSOM, _OK?_!" The rage that built within the green Powerpuff was becoming all too much to handle, and they knew they had to get out of there before they exploded, "I'M FUCKING DONE WITH THIS BULLSHIT! SO JUST LEAVE ME ALONE, ALRIGHT?!"

Blossom watched as her enraged sibling disappeared fast with a flash of green light, zipping down their home's staircase and out the front door, slamming it shut. Behind her, the pink Puff could still hear the loud sobbing on the other side of Bubbles' door. Between one distraught and crying sister and another angry and screaming, Blossom was unsure what to do.

The pink Puff took one last look at the photo that had ignited the rage within her sibling and sighed deeply to herself. She really had believed it was a good photo of them, but... she must have been wrong. Realizing this, the tears came fast, and Blossom quickly wiped them away before they could fall. The pink Puff knew she had to be strong then for both her siblings somehow. She entered Bubbles' room first, while simultaneously trying her wrist communicator to get a hold of Buttercup.

* * *

The climb of the water tower's ladder had gotten a little less tiring for the short simian, but it was still no easy task. As Mojo pulled himself back up onto the metal landing, he was looking forward to that trip up the ladder being his last. Once Joey returned, they could resume their construction of his new base of operations. With most of what they needed waiting for them in the hidden "found" pickup truck below, with the superpowered teenager's help, Mojo imagined it would not take long to get everything in place. And once his new lair was complete, true vengeance on behalf of his old liar could finally be sought.

As the short villain entered the hollow water tank and looked around, he saw that the portable generators he had instructed Joey to drop off before returning home were there waiting for him in the exact spot he had asked them to be. As much as the child seemed to increasingly roll their eyes at him all night, at least they seemed to still follow instruction well enough.

Mojo had just sat down with the first generator to begin assembly when there was a sudden clunk heard on top of the metal tank. The villain immediately rose to his feet and walked out to the metal platform outside.

"What are you doing back so soon?" Mojo began as soon as his eyes fell on the floating teenager who lowered themself onto the platform. "Why have you returned so quickly? Did Mojo not say that our next stage cannot begin until-"

The green Puff interrupted with a mutter and a scowl, "Force of habit, I guess. I always come here after a fight with my sisters." The teenager cracked their scarred knuckles before reaching into their pants pocket. Mojo noted that the scarred hand that held out the drive for him seemed to twitch strangely. "Here's your virus chip or whatever the fuck it is-"

"It is a data drive-"

"Whatever," the green Puff scoffed as Mojo took the device from them. "Now that I'm here, can't we just get this over with?"

Mojo raised an eyebrow before crossing his arms. "As Mojo stated earlier," he began to lecture, "You were supposed to return only after your midnight sweeps to ensure we have total secrecy as our main construction of the night begins. We cannot risk- jeopardize- or chance Mojo Jojo's new lair being discovered before it is even completed! Besides, I have yet to have a chance to generate power and electricity for us within the tank! Something we will surely need! And what is this about you fighting with your sisters? And then you come straight here?! Are you trying to lead the Powerpuff Girls straight to Mojo Jojo's new lair?! Could you not have avoided such a mess- such drama- such foolishness for simply one night?!"

" _URRGGH_!" the green Puff ripped at their short hair and bit their tongue as the pressure within continued to rise then. It wasn't just Mojo's ranting then that made things worse, but also the communicator on their wrist that beeped loudly and incessantly as Blossom tried over and over again to make contact.

Mojo's eyes widened as he noticed the trace of blood seeping from the super powered child's mouth as they bit down on their own tongue hard. The teenager's skinny frame shook as they balled up both scarred fists which began to slowly glow a bright, neon green.

"I GET IT, ALRIGHT?! I FUCKED UP! I'M THE POWERPUFF FUCK UP, ALRIGHT?!" the teenager snapped, ripping watch from their wrist and chucking it far away- easily sending it soaring for miles with their super strength. "SO JUST _STOP IT_ ALREADY! _I CAN'T TAKE ANY FUCKING MORE_!"

As the Puff tossed the communication device away from them, a powerful bright green beam of light shot forth from their scarred palm and as they lifted their other hand to try and stop it, it too erupted with a fiery green blast. The electric green rays of light traveled far into the distance, high above the city and went on for miles without stopping. Being so high up in the air upon the water tower landing, there was nothing in the blast's path to stop it, and so the strange, eerie green energy continued to flow out from the super hero, stretching far beyond the ocean. " _NO-NO-NO-NO-NO-NO- **NO**_!" the green Puff pleaded with themself, " ** _NOT AGAIN_**!"

Mojo had stepped aside just as soon as the fiery blast exploded from the hero's palms and stood in stunned shock as the mighty waves of glowing bright energy almost blinded him. The light was so powerful, it was difficult to see what was happening standing right beside the source itself. He had never witnessed anything like it before. Whatever power this was, he knew that it was new. But what was it?

Mojo heard a squeaking and saw that the teenager struggled to support themself underneath the weight of their own power. As the fiery green blast raged on, their sneakers slid underneath them, and they began to skid along the metal platform backwards, both arms remaining locked in an outstretched position. It looked as if the Puff was fighting to shut their fingers- he imagined to stop the power somehow- but clearly the hero was at the mercy of something that could not be controlled then.

The powerful green light continued for a full minute. The skinny teen had slid almost entirely across the platform before the blast suddenly quit. As soon as the light ended, the hero's body went limp. Mojo witnessed the fall as if it were happening in slow motion. He quickly rushed over to keep the Puff from collapsing off the side of the water tower, yanking them by their jacket just before they could fall fully backward. The Puff collapsed forward against the short simian, and he fell to the floor of the landing with them.

Mojo quickly scrambled onto his feet and blinked down at the unmoving Powerpuff. He was not sure what to make of anything that had just happened. He waited for the young hero to do something, but all they did was lay there on their belly, completely still and unmoving.

The villain gave the Puff's body a slight kick with his foot, "Hey," another kick, but still the Puff did not move, "Hey!" Mojo knelt down and rolled the skinny teenager onto their back. He grabbed them by their shoulders next and tried to shake them awake, " _Hey_!" Their eyes remained shut, and as Mojo tried a few light slaps across the face next, he noted that the Puff's complexion was ghost white. He laid the hero back down and pressed his ear against their chest. Indeed, there was still a heartbeat, although faint...

Mojo rushed over to the metal railing and briefly searched about the night sky for any traces of pink or blue, before returning quickly to the unconscious green Puff. Surely, the villain could not be caught with a nearly dead hero beside him and not be blamed somehow for this. The fiery green light show lasted too long to not have been seen by someone. No doubt, people would be searching the skies for a source or explanation. He needed to make certain that he and the green Puff were not discovered.

And so the short simian grabbed the arms of his unconscious enemy, and began to slowly drag their body into the darkness of his lair.


End file.
